The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Deer Hunter follows three working‑class friends — Michael, Steven and Nicky — from a small steel‑town in Pennsylvania whose lives and rituals (especially their ritual deer hunts) are upended when they enlist to fight in Vietnam. The film moves from intimate, community moments — a large wedding that doubles as a farewell, weekend hunts, relationships left behind — into the horror of combat: the men are captured, subjected to brutal treatment and forced to play deadly games of Russian roulette. Michael makes it home first to find that Steven has been grievously wounded and Nicky has not returned; haunted and changed, Michael ultimately returns to Vietnam in an attempt to save his friend. Seen on screen, the movie is an immersive, often harrowing character drama that contrasts close, everyday rituals and community life with the traumatic violence of war. Viewers should expect powerful, emotionally wrenching scenes, slow‑burn psychological intensity, and moments of quiet grief as much as shocking brutality. It’s a somber, affecting exploration of friendship, duty and the long, destructive aftermath of combat — not light entertainment, but a memorable, disturbing film that leaves a lasting emotional impact.

Actors: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale

Director: Michael Cimino

Runtime: 183 min

Genres: Drama, War

8.0 /10 90 /100 8.1 /10 8.4 /10