The Deer Hunter (1978) Full Review

Name: The Deer Hunter (1978) Full Review
Uploaded: 2025-09-23T23:30:17+00:00
Duration: 20 min 10 s
Channel: Film Scene Investigation

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Here’s my review of the 1978 film, The Deer Hunter.

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00:00Hey everyone, it's me Beau back once again with another cult movie review. I hope everyone is

00:19doing well. Today in this video I'm going to be reviewing the 70s Oscar winning film The Deer

00:27Hunter. If you guys like the content that I do here, please consider subscribing. It goes a long

00:33way to help me grow the channel. So The Deer Hunter from 1978 was directed by the late Michael Cimino.

00:45The movie was Cimino's second feature film as director following his debut Thunderbolt and

00:53Lightfoot in 1974. Now I know Cimino had a bit of a troubled career and reputation, but from the

01:04work that I've seen him produce over the years, I do rate him as a high caliber filmmaker. There's

01:13absolutely no denying that he had a lot of talent and a keen eye for storytelling. As for The Deer

01:22Hunter itself, I saw this movie many years ago on TV. At the time I just watched Stanley Kubrick's

01:32Full Metal Jacket, another movie centered around the Vietnam War. So watching The Deer Hunter acted

01:42as a nice follow-up to that. And when I think of war movies, The Deer Hunter isn't one that

01:52immediately comes to mind. Future films like Platoon or Apocalypse Now would likely be most people's first

02:04thought. Now don't get me wrong, The Deer Hunter is indeed a war movie, but I've always associated the

02:12film with the careers of Michael Cimino and actor John Cazale. Those are the two names that spring to mind

02:22when I think of The Deer Hunter. But still, comparing this film to its counterparts, I feel The Deer Hunter

02:31is the war movie that had the most depth and was more psychologically reaching. While of course the

02:42action was perfectly executed, you know, there was a lot more going on in this movie. So the film

02:50followed the lives of three steel workers from Clayton, Pennsylvania. The trio were Michael, played by

03:00Robert De Niro, Nick, played by actor Christopher Walken, and Stephen, played by John Savage. They

03:08spent their days working in the steel mill and their nights hunting deer in the mountains. At the same

03:17time, the Vietnam War was looming large. The trio's lives were then changed forever when they were all

03:26drafted into military service. The narrative of the film unfolded into three distinct acts. The first

03:36was the peaceful pre-war days in Pennsylvania. They were just a group of guys living their best lives

03:45in this close-knit community. Much of act one actually consisted of a wedding between the characters

03:53Stephen and Angela. It was indeed a long sequence, and I'll get to that a bit later on in this review.

04:01But it did showcase the close bond Mike and the others all shared. Act two was where the war aspect

04:10and repercussions really came into focus. It showed the harsh realities of the Vietnamese war,

04:18with the psychotic death games and died conditions the friends faced while trying to survive in captivity.

04:26We saw the famous Russian roulette game take place inside the prison camp. It was harrowing, but a truly

04:39masterful scene that really put emphasis on the casualties of war. I mean, just thinking about it, the whole

04:48roulette sequence with all the water everywhere and the cramped conditions would have been a real challenge

04:56to film. So props to all involved. Now the final act of the deer hunter showed the bleak aftermath of the conflict

05:08and its ever-changing impact on the group and their community. They, like so many others at the time,

05:17were struggling to come to terms with the trauma and loneliness they felt while trying to piece back together their lives.

05:26Now, this was a very basic story structure, but I thought it really worked well with the story Camino was telling.

05:38The movie was always about the journey that the characters went on, not just together, but within their own minds.

05:48And with this story structure in particular, we saw the changes that the characters developed over the course of the film.

05:59It was very clear to see, from pre-war to post-war, how people's personalities and attitudes changed.

06:09You know, the deer hunting trips, for example, that bookended the film, served as a metaphor for the journey that the characters made.

06:20We started with innocence and progressed on to experience, with the final trip highlighting the group's loss and the toiled war took on their spirits.

06:38You know, I also want to talk about the film's exploration into PTSD.

06:45For a film that was released in the late 70s, I thought it was quite commendable for a movie from that era to showcase the issues surrounding post-traumatic stress.

07:03I mean, in all fairness, I mean, in all fairness, that was quite pioneering for its time.

07:08The deer hunter also bravely showed the challenges of reintegration that veterans faced upon their return.

07:17These guys, these veterans, these war heroes, they were not robots.

07:25They were not killing machines.

07:29They were humans with thoughts and feelings just like the rest of us.

07:36These soldiers, these soldiers, these veterans returned to their communities psychologically scarred by the war.

07:45Many did indeed suffer as a consequence.

07:49Many were unable to cope or carry on with their lives.

07:55You know, back then, many had little to no support at all.

08:02And then you have a film like The Deer Hunter coming out on the tail end of 1978 that explored the unfortunate aftermath of the war with its unflinching, unapologetic approach.

08:20Let's talk about the actors here for a moment.

08:25Featuring the likes of Meryl Streep, Jon Cazale, Christopher Walking, and of course, Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter was a movie jam packed with a brilliant cast of performers.

08:39Having watched the film back recently, you know, and just kind of looking closely at everyone and everyone's input, you know, there was no bad performances here.

08:50Everyone delivered in their respective roles with no actor phoning it in.

08:57I mean, you have to kind of think that this movie, this story, you know, it was very character driven.

09:05And a film like this needed to have a strong, talented set of actors to make it work.

09:16As an ensemble piece, yeah, the whole cast did a brilliant job.

09:23And Christopher Walking would actually go on to win an Oscar for his performance in The Deer Hunter, something which was fully deserved.

09:33Robert De Niro's performance in particular was, at times, intense and carried a lot of weight.

09:45The character suffered through some terrible times, yet he somehow, some way found the strength to keep going, not give up and keep pushing forward.

09:57In a way, Mike kind of acted like the beacon of hope to his friends and to his community.

10:05The character showed an array of different emotions throughout the film, and they were all perfectly portrayed and executed by De Niro.

10:18You know, at times, the actor's performance was quite reserved, showing his emotions through his eyes and facial expressions.

10:28While the man's career certainly has declined over time, I don't think anyone can deny how impressive De Niro was back in his heyday in films like this, Taxi Driver and Ranging Ball.

10:43With all that said, going back to the director Michael Cimino and his reputation, he was known to be quite demanding with his actors, always pushing them to the limit to try and get the best results.

11:00Now, another actor I have to mention would be the late John Cazale.

11:07Now, this movie, The Deer Hunter, would actually mark the last on-screen appearance from the actor.

11:14At the time of filming, Cazale had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was indeed very sick.

11:23Yeah, this was very apparent, as you could see in the film, as Cazale looked very skinny and gaunt.

11:32Now, I personally love John Cazale's filmography. It was very limited, but brilliant nonetheless.

11:42Of course, John Cazale is best remembered for his role in the first two Godfather movies, but with films like this and A Dog Day Afternoon, it was clear that Cazale was a truly talented actor.

11:57Yeah, it's an utter shame that the man's life was cut so short, but for me, you know, trying to focus on the positives, hey, what a movie to end your career with, The Deer Hunter.

12:14Cazale's character, Stanley, had this lingering sadness that surrounded him throughout the whole film, an underlying sense of dejection that felt very authentic.

12:33And knowing the actor had already been given a terminal diagnosis before production even began, I imagine it was easy for Cazale to project his character, Stanley, and his misery on screen, giving Cazale's real-life predicament.

12:56Upon researching this movie, I found out that Cazale actually passed away before the film was ever completed.

13:06Now, this for me, hearing this news, you know, it saddens me because it meant that Cazale never got the opportunity to watch the final product.

13:21It's just kind of bittersweet because, like in all his films, John Cazale gave such a brilliant performance and, yeah, it's just sad that he was never able to actually see it all play out on screen.

13:40And, you know, on top of that, it would have been nice for Cazale to have lived a bit longer, to have seen all the success the movie garnered, you know, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

13:53Now, before we get to dislikes, I have to give some love to the cinematographer, the late Vilmos Sigmund.

14:02The incredibly talented cinematographer did indeed capture some wonderful imagery throughout the movie.

14:10While I think his later work in Michael Cimino's Western Heaven's Gate was superior, there's no taking away this man's stunning work that he produced for The Deer Hunter.

14:25Strong visuals from a competent cinematographer will always, always vastly improve a film's overall quality.

14:37And with The Deer Hunter, that was absolutely no exception.

14:42Sigmund's work reminded me of paintings that you would see sometimes, you know, on a wall in an art gallery.

14:52Perfectly crafted by an artist, a true artist, that had a keen eye for detail.

15:00And so, dislikes for The Deer Hunter, 1978.

15:05My main dislike for this movie would be the overall pacing of the film.

15:12Now, don't get me wrong, I love the film's grand scope with its strong characters and stunning visuals.

15:21Clearly, a lot of money had gone into this project and it certainly showed on screen.

15:28But the slow pacing that we saw, especially in Act One during the wedding, that to me seemed overkill.

15:39You know, I appreciated the character development, but with all things considered, I felt that it just didn't need to linger on so much.

15:50You know, specifically as in, I feel there could have been 10, maybe even 15 minutes of footage that could have been cut, edited out and I feel it would not have affected the story in any way.

16:09From what I've read actually online, it seemed that the movie studio was somewhat unhappy with the original runtime.

16:18But, allowed Cimino and editor Peter Zinner to continue on with their 184 minute version.

16:28I mean, yeah, Cimino was allowed to do what he did and obviously, you know, Oscar winning movie, reaped all the awards, big success.

16:38So, in that sense, Cimino was right in this instance to do what he did.

16:43With all that said, I still think that the slow pacing deters people from repeat viewings, especially for modern audiences.

16:54I know when it comes to myself, I tend to rewatch certain scenes from The Deer Hunter rather than actually the whole film.

17:03A sleeker, more refined version would have been preferred.

17:10And so, ratings for The Deer Hunter 1978.

17:15Going to be rating this movie a solid 7 out of 10.

17:19When it comes to cinematic masterpieces that have left a lasting impression on their audience, The Deer Hunter is no doubt one of them.

17:31It's a powerfully haunting film that delved into the themes of friendship, loyalty and the harrowing effects of war.

17:40The Deer Hunter is a film that explored the deep bonds of friendship and sacrifice the group made for one another in times of extreme adversity.

17:53I mean, the film's message about the frutility of war and its devastating consequences for individuals and communities remains relevant today as it did back then.

18:06With the movie's evocative storytelling and performances, you know, the film remains a timeless classic that deserved all the award recognition it got.

18:20When I think about this movie, The Deer Hunter does serve as a reminder to everyone of the importance of peace and the need to avoid such conflicts at all costs.

18:37I don't know who said it, but that famous line, you know, you have to learn from your history, otherwise you're doomed to repeat it.

18:47Now, if you're watching this and you have seen this movie, please let me know what you thought in the comments section below.

18:55It's always great to hear your guys' thoughts.

18:58For those who have not seen this yet, I highly recommend it. It's definitely worth your time.

19:04It's a sombre movie and it's not something that you'd necessarily kind of go out and watch repeatedly.

19:16But it is an important piece of American cinema that all film lovers should go and experience at least once.

19:27Well, that's all from me today, guys. Hope you've enjoyed this review.

19:31I will be back very soon with more cult movie reviews. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already.

19:37And yeah, take care. I'll see you all very soon.

19:40Bye.

20:07Bye.