The Deer Hunter

1978 Directed by Michael Cimino

A group of working-class friends decides to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War and finds it to be hellish chaos -- not the noble venture they imagined. Before they left, Steven married his pregnant girlfriend -- and Michael and Nick were in love with the same woman. But all three are different men upon their return.

Robert De Niro Christopher Walken John Cazale John Savage Meryl Streep George Dzundza Rutanya Alda Pierre Segui Amy Wright Richard Kuss Joe Grifasi Dennis Watlington Shirley Stoler Chuck Aspegren Mary Ann Haenel Mady Kaplan Paul D'Amato Christopher Colombi Jr. Victoria Karnafel Jack Scardino Joe Strnad Helen Tomko Charlene Darrow Jane-Colette Disko Michael Wollet Robert Beard Joe Dzizmba Stephen Kopestonsky John F. Buchmelter III Show All…

Alternative Titles

O Franco Atirador, 獵鹿者, The Man Who Came to Play, Hjortejegeren, Vanatorul de Cerbi, 디어 헌터, 사슴 사냥꾼, Deer Hunter, Łowca jeleni

drama war

184 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by CinemaClown ★★ 38

One of the first films to employ the subject of Vietnam War into its premise, The Deer Hunter tells the story of three young factory workers in Pennsylvania who enlist into the army to fight the ongoing war in Vietnam, only to discover that war isn't a noble venture they imagined but a hellish chaos which in the end, completely changes their overall personalities.
The film is a three act feature in which the first act introduces its three primary characters, their friendships, the women they're in love with & their perspectives on life. The second act is set in Vietnam & covers the brutality they undergo there. And the final act depicts the massive change war has brought into not just…
Review by katie ★★★ 3

not enough robert de niro schlong
Review by josh lewis ★★★★ 4

jesus christ.
Review by talisencrw (William Wood) ★★★★★ 3

With director Cimino's recent death and his reputation in tatters since the debacle of 'Heaven's Gate', I decided to visit 'The Deer Hunter'. Though over three hours long, it's astonishing, paced so achingly right and I can see why he rightfully earned the 'carte blanche' that would unfortunately lead to his downfall (as well as an entire studio's) as soon as he made his next film. But to reach such heights and to have such ambition--as well as undeniable talent--is a victory in and of itself. Just armed with the main five actors alone, at the zenith of their craft, a fine script (really the first interesting and well-deliberated Vietnam film to hit the big screen) and Vilmos Zsigmond behind…
Review by Jizzmonkey ★★★★★ 3

The first half is a bit serious, with the second half a lighthearted trip down easy street. I recommend watching for a time where you need cheering up, and hang on in there till the end.
Review by Sean Cordy ★★★★★ 16

Very few films can hit me as emotionally as Michael Cimino’s, The Deer Hunter. This epic masterpieces exudes emotion, it practically is emotion. The performances are incredible, the cinematography and musical score is full of grit, and the screenplay is incredibly jarring. Everything is at top class here. I was worried, after reading some reviews over the past few years since my last watch that it would be jingoistic and rely purely on nationalism to affect the audience, but to my delight, it is anything but said concerns.
Like The Thin Red Line, this is a “war” movie. I say “war”, because it simply has the setting of a war. But it starts out with an hour long introduction in…
Review by kevintporter ★★★★

ME SEEING JOHN CAZALE: Uh, weird guy!
ME READING THAT JOHN CAZALE WAS MERYL'S HUSBAND WHO WAS DYING OF CANCER AND SHE ONLY TOOK THE THANKLESS GIRLFRIEND PART IN THIS MOVIE TO BE BY HIS SIDE 24/7 IN HIS LAST DAYS: Oh 🥺
The Deer Hunter ends with Meryl singing and a freeze frame. Four stars!
Review by Sam Meltzer🏳️‍🌈 ★★★ 30

Take a shot every time someone says “Fuckin’ A”
The Deer Hunter is a beautifully directed, terrifically acted and mostly engaging drama. It’s an epic for sure, but I’m not confident in saying that every minute felt earned or necessary. The first hour definitely felt inconsistent and dragged. The wedding sequence seemed to go on for an eternity and definitely could’ve been shortened. I was really nervous for what was to come because of how I felt about the first act.
Luckily, it definitely picks up. After that first act, we see a beautiful friendship between these guys and the events that they experience. It got really tense and interesting and rarely bored me past that point. The war elements…
Review by Justin Peterson ★★ 12

Is that Russian Roulette Vietnam movie really the classic many people remember it being?
In High School I was really into checking out Best Picture winners so I gave this one a rent, and only I recalled the wedding, the roulette games, and De Niro hunting a deer. I think that's what most people would remember about it, and that's because much of the rest of the film is a bunch of fluff, and is way longer than it needs to be. Did Director Michael Cimino think his movies had to be as long as possible in order to be good? Well with this being 3 hours and 'Heaven's Gate' 3 hours and 45 minutes, I guess so.
So why…
Review by Emily Housel ★★★★½ 1

excuse me but holy fucking hell this movie did an excellent job of fucking me up. adding to my list of films that make me cry
Review by Libby Caldwell ★★★½ 18

Films Watched in 2020 - Film 114
100 Movies I Want to Watch in 2020 - Film 33/100
Not my favourite war film by a long shot but it had the most real performances I’ve seen in a while, those Russian roulette scenes are incredible.
This was the earliest role of Meryl’s that I’ve seen, and I couldn’t believe she’s as great in this as she is now, so many decades later.
But unfortunately for me, The Deer Hunter was ultimately more a collection of a few great scenes than a great movie.
Review by matt lynch ★★★★½

"A blessing on the hunter sent by the Great Wolf to his children." Seduced and abandoned by myth.

Recent reviews

Review by derigin ★★★★½

Take a bunch of small town Rust Belt working class lads, send them to Vietnam, and watch their lives painfully unravel and get torn apart... That's The Deer Hunter for you. I love it. This isn't a movie that glorifies war, or even really spends its time on the war itself. It's about the before and after, the loss of innocence, the camaraderie, the torment of torture, and the difficulties of reintegration. The length of the wedding scene is this film's one major weakness, but that's bearable given the rest of the film.
Review by Hakim ★★★★

truly incredible and moving performances from robert de niro and christopher walken.
Review by brianau

Wow the pacing of this movie is insane
Review by Dana 💫 ★★½

I was expecting to feel some kind emotion during parts of this but I didn't maybe I just didn't connect with the characters. Eventhough at points this felt like it was never going to end, it still kind of paid off.
Review by Guillermo Pinochet ★★★★★

So... Michael's homosexual?
Review by Stan ★★★★★

The best film ever made, and I will stand by that!
Review by yatzen ★★

Not so much a war movie as a movie about the psychological damage war causes. There were parts that were a bit slow for my taste, especially in the first hour. It's important to establish the characters so that we can empathize with them and understand the changes they go through, but I feel like this could've been done more efficiently. There were also some side characters who kind of annoyed me who didn't really need to be taking screen time away from the main 3. But the last 2/3 of the movie are incredibly compelling.
Edit: Dropping this a star because after thinking about the film for awhile, I got really uncomfortable with the way Vietnamese people are portrayed in this movie, and how despite being about the horrors of war, is still very clear in who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are supposed to be.
Review by Andrés Symon ★★½

Esta película es excelente. En algunos momentos me dejó con el corazón en la boca por los nervios que sentía. En otros momentos me dejó impresionado por lo gigante que era en escala. A veces me dejó enamorado con algunos paisajes bellísimos.
Pero. Pero. La mitad del tiempo me mató del aburrmiento. Es sinceramente un insulto que esta wea dure tres horas. La cantidad de escenas de relleno que no construyen nada es incontable. Los golpes emocionales hubieran golpeado fuerte, pero cuando llegaba el momento ya estaba tan desconectado que no sentía nada.
Por cada cosa buena suma una mala y puta que me deja decepcionado.
Review by James Sung ★★★★½

The bullet aiming the flesh, the borderline between rest and suffer.
(03.02.2021)
Review by Jenno Maes ★★★★½

Has the longest wedding in cinematic history but besides that this is a classic. Those Russian Roulette scenes are fucking brilliant.
Review by stjackson8 ★★★

So very many scenes of hitting women in the face that I'd like not to see anymore. Deeply troubling film. Seems like a rare case in which the storyteller trusts the audience to piece together what is elected not to be told. Big sad. Protect Meryl at all costs.
Review by CPB26 ★★★★★

Masterpiece of cinema