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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)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
5/5

Anton Bitel

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: | comment Comment | Jun., 13 2007 04:14 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 26 2006 03:15 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

Colin Kennedy

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 04 2004 08:17 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
4/5

Tim Robey

Draggy and devastating by turns

comment Comment | Oct., 19 2003 03:41 AM

Daily Telegraph

tomato
5/5

Rich Cline

No review available.

comment Comment | Sep., 27 2003 03:51 PM

Shadows on the Wall

tomato
87/100

David Nusair

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: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 02:05 PM

AskMen.com

tomato

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: | comment 1 Comment | Feb., 20 2009 03:56 AM

TIME Magazine

tomato
5/5

Kevin McCarthy

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

comment Comment | Aug., 03 2008 07:40 PM

BDK Reviews

tomato

Charles Schreger

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: | comment Comment | Feb., 20 2008 12:13 PM

Variety

tomato
4/5

Cole Smithey

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 02 2007 10:34 AM

ColeSmithey.com

tomato
4/4

Phil Villarreal

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 08 2007 09:27 AM

Arizona Daily Star

splat

Jonathan Rosenbaum

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: | comment 35 Comments | Dec., 13 2006 08:15 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
3.5/4

Wesley Lovell

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: | comment Comment | Dec., 13 2006 06:08 AM

Oscar Guy

tomato
4/5

Emanuel Levy

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 02 2005 04:09 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

splat
1/5

John Esther

No review available.

comment 2 Comments | Nov., 22 2004 10:19 PM

Pasadena Weekly

tomato
4/4

Roger Ebert

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 23 2004 10:24 PM

Chicago Sun-Times

tomato
4/5

Robin Clifford

No review available.

comment Comment | Oct., 08 2004 10:44 AM

Reeling Reviews

tomato
4/5

Nell Minow

No review available.

comment Comment | Sep., 09 2004 08:25 PM

Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

tomato
5/5

Daniel M. Kimmel

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 08 2004 08:45 AM

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

tomato
5/5

Randy Shulman

No review available.

comment Comment | Jun., 17 2004 06:25 AM

Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Deer Hunter

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