Rent The Deer Hunter (1978)

3.9 of 5 from 356 ratings
2h 56min
Rent The Deer Hunter Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
When Michael (Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) are captured by the Vietcong, they are forced to play Russian Roulette by their brutal captors, who make bets on their survival. The experience of capture leaves them with terrible physical and spiritual wounds, and when Michael returns to Saigon to fulfill an old promise to one of his friends, he makes an unexpected, horrific discovery.
Also featuring astonishing performances from Meryl Streep as the woman both Michael and Nick fall in love with, and John Cazale as their unhinged and insecure friend Stan, 'The Deer Hunter' is widely acknowledged as one of cinema's great masterpieces and contains some of the most memorable scenes in film history.
Actors:
, , , , , , Chuck Aspegren, , , , , , Mary Ann Haenel, , , Christopher Colombi Jr., Victoria Karnafel, Jack Scardino, , Helen Tomko
Directors:
Producers:
Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, John Peverall, Barry Spikings
Writers:
Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn
Others:
Peter Zinner, Richard Portman, Darin Knight, Jim Klinger, Aaron Rochin, William McCaughey, Vilmos Zsigmond, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker
Studio:
Optimum
Genres:
Action & Adventure, Drama, Thrillers
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: Monty Python's Life of Brian, 10 Films to Watch if You Like: The Wicker Man, A Brief History of Film Weddings: Part 3, All You Need to Know About Dump Month Movies, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, Films to Watch If You Like..., Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, The Film Highlights of 1980, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide to: Miloš Forman, Top 10 Autumn Films, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Golden Bear Winners, Top 100 AFI Movies, Top 100 AFI Thrills, Top Films
Awards:

1980 BAFTA Best Cinematography

1980 BAFTA Best Editing

1979 Oscar Best Supporting Actor

1979 Oscar Best Picture

1979 Oscar Best Director

1979 Oscar Best Editing

1979 Oscar Best Sound

BBFC:
Release Date:
30/10/2006
Run Time:
176 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Audio Commentary By Director Michael Cimino
BBFC:
Release Date:
28/09/2009
Run Time:
183 minutes
Languages:
Castilian Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French DTS 2.0 Mono, German DTS 2.0 Mono, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles:
Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • 'Realising The Deer Hunter': Interview with Director Michael Cimino
  • 'Shooting The Deer Hunter': Interview with Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond
  • 'Playing The Deer Hunter': Interview with Actor John Savage
  • 'Vietnam War: Unknown Images': Documentary on the Vietnam War
  • Presentation by Mickey Rourke
  • Director's Commentary
  • Trailer
  • BD-Live
BBFC:
Release Date:
20/08/2018
Run Time:
184 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • New Interview with Film Critic David Thomson
  • 1979 ITV South Bank Show Interview with Michael Cimino
  • Realising 'The Deer Hunter' - Interview with Michael Cimino
  • Shooting 'The Deer Hunter' - Interview with Vilmos Zsigmond
  • Playing 'The Deer Hunter' - Interview with John Savage
  • Michael Cimino Audio Commentary
  • Vilmos Zsigmond and Journalist Bob Fisher Audio Commentary
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes

More like The Deer Hunter

Reviews (3) of The Deer Hunter

Powerful, moving film. Superb stuff. - The Deer Hunter review by RP

Spoiler Alert
12/06/2012

The US action in Vietnam was long and bloody, and when you consider that over 3 million Americans served in the war, that over 58,000 servicemen died not to mention all the casualties, and that an estimated 4 million Vietnamese (on both sides) lost their lives during the conflict perhaps it's not surprising that there are so many films dealing with the war. It touched the whole of US society - and one small section of that society is the subject of this film.

It follows the lives of a group of friends who work together in a steelworks in a small town in Pennsylvania. After work they drink beer together, at weekends they go hunting together, they know each other's families, wives, girlfriends, go to the same church (Russian Orthodox - they are from eastern European stock), they quarrel over small things - they're just normal working class guys. They are part of their community.

And then they serve in Vietnam - and their lives change forever. Michael (Robert de Niro), Nicky (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage) are taken prisoner by the Viet Cong and are forced to play Russian Roulette while their guards bet on the outcome. They escape, but Steven's legs are broken. The war continues, they go their separate ways, the war ends, they return home to rebuild their lives - if they can. Michael finds that Steven is hospitalised, disabled and confined to a wheelchair. Someone sends him money regularly from Saigon. Michael goes to Saigon, tracks down Nicky who has remained there, traumatised and mentally disturbed by the war and - horrifyingly - still playing Russian Roulette.

I found this film to be quite extraordinarily moving. It isn't really about the Vietnam war - it could be any war - and in fact the war scenes form only a small part of the film. It is about the aftermath of war and how it affects those involved, both the soldiers and their wives/girlfriends, and how those effects will last for the rest of their lives. There are arguments about how realistic the story about Russian Roulette is, about the hunting scenes, the use of non-Pennsylvania locations etc. But this is a powerful film and the performances by de Niro, Meryl Streep and particularly by Christopher Walken are superb. This was also the last film made by the always excellent John Cazale.

Highly recommended - 5/5 stars. [Aside: There are very many films about the Vietnam war - for an extensive list search on Wikipedia for "vietnam war in film"]

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Powerful & Provocative Vietnam Drama - The Deer Hunter review by GI

Spoiler Alert
11/05/2022

This war drama remains a powerful and quite astonishing condemnation of war and whilst it still has its dissenters it is a real achievement. When it was made American cinema still hadn't really got to grips with the Vietnam war and this film looked at how it affected the young men drafted to fight there and also the people at home who are equally traumatised by the conflict's resulting destruction of their lives. This is not a traditional genre war film and there are in fact very few scenes of actual combat. When the story moves to Vietnam it is a somewhat disjointed and jarring scene change that moves very quickly to the infamous POW scenes. Controversial to this day the 'Russian roulette' segments that form a key part of the narrative remain very shocking and these go along way to highlighting the exceptional acting that is carried throughout the film by the cast. It's the story of a group of friends from a grimy Pennsylvania steel mill town whose lives are radically altered by the experience of three of them who are drafted to fight in Vietnam. With the opening scenes of a huge wedding to the final chapter of attempting to find one of the three who is missing in Saigon this is a poignant, moving and a very intense and provocative drama. It is a masterwork and deserved the multiple awards it garnered. The cast are all superb including Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage and Meryl Streep, it's also the final film of John Cazale who died before the film was completed. Critics have cited the racist depictions of Asians and one can read a homosocial subtext especially relating to soldiers assimilating back into civilian life with the clear feminine influence at play but whichever way this is viewed it's an American 'anti-classic' and a film everyone should see at least once.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

One of the best films ever made, with everyone working at the top of their game (4K remaster viewed) - The Deer Hunter review by TB

Spoiler Alert
16/06/2023

This film is perfection.

Every single actor is incredible. In a crowded field, for me this is De Niro's best performance. A portrayal of pain, grief, suffering and trying to push through whilst your world is crumbling around you. But that is not to minimise the work of the other actors. From Christopher Walken & Meryl Streep in their first major film performances, through to John Cazale, who was desperately sick & dying but was determined to be a part of and finish the film, not for one moment were they anything less than perfect.

The script, direction, locations and staging are incredible. For me, the remastering in 4K has transformed the film, but especially the outside/hunting scenes. The original DVD/Blu-ray version was in many ways washed out with regards to colour, but this has been completely rectified now.

Finally, as much as I have given this 5 stars, the main point which I will always talk about is the Russian Roulette sequence. It is for me the best piece of film direction and acting ever, full stop. Nothing I have seen since is comparable. The scenes of these men held at gunpoint, playing for their lives whilst their captors make bets on their survival is horrifying. And that's what the Deer Hunter does best: it makes you feel every second what the characters feel and the pain they have, whether mentally or physically.

So in other words, the reason that cinema was created in the first place

0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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