The Deer Hunter (1978)

An in-depth examination of the ways in which the U.S. Vietnam War impacts and disrupts the lives of people in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania.

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Michael Cimino (story), Deric Washburn (story)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale

Top Rated Movies #178 | Won 5 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Michael
John Cazale	...	Stan
John Savage	...	Steven
Christopher Walken	...	Nick
Meryl Streep	...	Linda
George Dzundza	...	John
Chuck Aspegren	...	Axel
Shirley Stoler	...	Steven's Mother
Rutanya Alda	...	Angela
Pierre Segui	...	Julien
Mady Kaplan	...	Axel's Girl
Amy Wright	...	Bridesmaid
Mary Ann Haenel	...	Stan's Girl
Richard Kuss	...	Linda's Father
Joe Grifasi	...	Bandleader

Storyline

Michael, Steven and Nicky are 3 best friends who enjoy going Deer hunting quote often. These men get enlisted to head to Vietnam to fight for their country and celebrate with a farewell party, as well as Nicky marrying a pregnant woman named "Angela." After the horrors during the war and edge-grabbing games of Russian Roulette that these men are forced to play, Michael returns home and realizes that his Deer hunting outings aren't the same as rhey used to be, because of the war and he eventually finds out that Steven is handicapped and Nicky hasn't returned from Vietnam, and in response, he heads back to Vietnam to rescue him.

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Plot Keywords:

american imperialism | vietnam war veteran | psychic | disorder | mental health | 

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Taglines:

Best Picture 1978

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Vietnamese French

Release Date:

23 February 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Came to Play

Filming Locations:

Mingo Junction, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$48,979,328

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,074,243

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

183 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (as Dolby System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The woman who was given the task of casting the extras in Thailand had much difficulty finding a local to play the vicious-looking individual who runs the game. The first actor hired turned out to be incapable of slapping Robert De Niro in the face. The caster thankfully knew a local Thai man with a particular dislike of Americans, and cast him accordingly. De Niro suggested that Christopher Walken be slapped for real by one of the guards without any warning. The reaction on Walken's face was genuine.

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Goofs

Steve and Nick, while depicted as assigned to 101st Airborne Division, they were shown wearing Marine's M1955 flak vest with a rope ridge on the shoulder.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michael: Hey, watch out, Axel. We'll be calling him old fireballs after tonight.
Axel: Fuckin' A.
Michael: Not bad.

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Crazy Credits

We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of our Thai crew in the production of "The Deer Hunter"

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Alternate Versions

The Region 2 Spain DVD is cut for violence.

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Connections

Referenced in Midsomer Murders: A Tale of Two Hamlets (2003)

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Soundtracks

Good Hearted Woman
(1972) (uncredited)
Written by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
Performed by Waylon Jennings

User Reviews

An unforgettable movie.

This is a movie with a touching story about friendship and most of all in shows the horror of the Vietnam war. This movie has some of the best acting performances I have seen,and I am of course talking about Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken. They really goes into their roles and creates a great atmosphere. This movie also contains one of the most famous scenes in movie history,the russian roulett scene.This scene is so intense and creepy to watch. One of the few great Vietnam movies ever.