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Movies / On DVD / The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter

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The Deer Hunter (1978)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:40

Rotten:4

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 3 hrs 4 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: An epic three-hour tale of lives forever changed by the Vietnam War, THE DEER HUNTER follows the transformation of a tight group of friends from a working-class town, taking its place alongside... An epic three-hour tale of lives forever changed by the Vietnam War, THE DEER HUNTER follows the transformation of a tight group of friends from a working-class town, taking its place alongside such classics as ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT in telling a story of war and disillusionment. On the eve of going to war, Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (John Savage) gather for Steven's wedding. Leaving Steven to his wedding night, Mike, Nick, and pals Axel (Chuck Aspergren), Stan (John Cazale), and John (George Dzundza) depart for the mountains and one last hunting trip. The hunting trip is a funny, poignant scene that firmly establishes the characters as they set off for Vietnam immediately after the trip. The scenes in Vietnam, especially the Russian roulette game, are among the most brutal war scenes on film. The characters' eventual return to the States is emotional and gut-wrenching. Michael Cimino's award-winning film is a powerful look at friendship and love in the midst of war. [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, John Savage

Starring: Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Shirley Stoler, Rutanya Alda

Director: Michael Cimino

Director: Michael Cimino
Screenwriter: Deric Washburn
Producer: Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino, John Peverall
Composer: Stanley Myers

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Deer Hunter

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Gauging the shifting moods of the 1970s, this tale of life and love disrupted by war is as arresting as a bullet to the brain.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/13/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is probably one of the few great films of the decade.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A simultaneuosly touching and harrowing experience that puts the audience directly in the shoes of one man's experience of Vietnam.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/04/04
Colin Kennedy
Colin Kennedy
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Draggy and devastating by turns

comment Comment
10/19/03
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
09/27/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

The friendship between the three central characters, as well as their shared association with the men from their small hometown, is truthful and realistic in a way that most guys will find impossible to resist.

Full Review Source: AskMen.com | comment Comment
04/29/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
AskMen.com

This excruciatingly violent, three-hour Viet Nam saga demolishes the moral and ideological cliches of an era: it shoves the audience into hell and leaves it stranded without a map.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 1 Comment
02/20/09
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The first half and second half of the film couldn't be more different but that is the genius behind the film.

comment Comment
08/03/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

The film is ambitious and it succeeds on a number of levels and it proves that Cimino is an important director who deserves to be watched carefully.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/20/08
Charles Schreger
Charles Schreger
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
11/02/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Like an honorable soldier, Cazale gave everything he had for a cause in which he believed.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
07/08/07
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

A disgusting account of what the evil Vietnamese did to poor, innocent Americans stands at the center of this Oscar-laden weepie about macho buddies from a small industrial town.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 35 Comments
12/13/06
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

A visceral film that says volumes about the horrors of war and its impact on the lives of typically well adjusted people.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
12/13/06
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment 2 Comments
11/22/04
John Esther
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly

It is a heartbreakingly effective fictional machine that evokes the agony of the Vietnam time.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/08/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
09/09/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
07/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
06/17/04
Randy Shulman
Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

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