The Deer Hunter (1978)
91%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
24 wins & 27 nominations total
Its greatness is blunted by its length and one-sided point of view, but the film’s weaknesses are overpowered by Michael Cimino’s sympathetic direction and a series of heartbreaking performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.
The Deer Hunter is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s emotional turmoil and gut-wrenching scenes. Some critics say it’s too long, but I say it’s worth every minute. The performances are outstanding, and the cinematography is breathtaking. It’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the impact of war on individuals and communities. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios,
Distributor
MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Church – 733 Starkweather Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1979
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:3h 3m
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Language(s):English, Vietnamese, French, Russian, Cantonese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 1978 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 1998
Genre(s)
War/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza, John Cazale, directed by Michael Cimino, written by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, produced by Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, Barry Spik
Worldwide gross: $49,074,379
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $213,410,398
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 661
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,272,671
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $65,230,697
Production budget ranking: 641
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $35,126,731
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $113,052,970
ROI to date (est.): 113%
ROI ranking: 889
Christopher Walken – Nick
John Savage – Steven
John Cazale – Stanley “Stosh”
Meryl Streep – Linda
George Dzundza – John
Michael Cimino – Director/Producer/Writer
Michael Deeley – Producer
Barry Spikings – Producer
Deric Washburn – Writer
Vilmos Zsigmond – Cinematographer
Director(s)
Michael Cimino
Writer(s)
Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn
Producer(s)
Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, Barry Spikings
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
24 wins & 27 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (82) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (9)
The wayward, maddening screenplay succeeds only in working up a gruesome melodramatic later — hardly the catharsis promised by a bold treatment of the wounds of our most divisive war.
February 5, 2020
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
To my mind, The Deer Hunter is a major achievement in American movies. And I fervently hope that the American public won’t vote me wrong.
December 18, 2018
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
While it’s fair to argue that The Deer Hunter contains moments of brilliance, the film as a whole is undone by its length.
October 8, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
The movie won five Oscars and, if anything, improves with age.
March 2, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It has no more moral intelligence than the Clint Eastwood action pictures, yet it’s an astonishing piece of work, an uneasy mixture of violent pulp and grandiosity, with an enraptured view of common life — poetry of the commonplace.
March 2, 2015
Pauline Kael
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
In trying to measure the devastating impact of Vietnam on the lives of three American soldiers, Cimino brings home the true horror of that senseless conflict in a way that the 6 O’Clock News never could.
February 18, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
While The Deer Hunter is interesting as a cinematic experiment, it is scarcely less dangerous than propaganda, a bad thing often done very well.
May 18, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
We need films that remind us of our history, not films that distort it.
May 10, 2022
Nancy Wechsler
Gay Community News (Boston)
Taken as a whole, The Deer Hunter is an anti-war elegy that movingly cherishes community and friendship in the face of humanity’s darkest, most destructive tendencies.
March 22, 2022 | Rating: 10/10
Nick Rocco Scalia
Film Threat
Seen once more in 2021, 1978’s Best Picture winner feels more disturbing than ever.
January 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
James Wegg
JWR
Horrific history remembered as noble fantasy can only create more horrific history. Cimino bids to become our own Leni Riefenstahl.
November 4, 2021
Michael Ventura
L.A. Weekly
…a powerful study of American determinism on the rocks…
February 18, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com…
Plot
Michael, Steven and Nicky are 3 best friends who enjoy going deer hunting quite often. These men get enlisted to head to Vietnam to fight for their country and celebrate with a farewell party, as well as Steven 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 they 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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Deer Hunter features the last performance of John Cazale before his untimely death to cancer.
Michael-Cimino.jpg
