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The Deer Hunter | Rotten Tomatoes

️Fri Dec 02 2016

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Critics 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.

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Wendy Ide Times (UK) ... Perhaps a little cumbersome, but it’s hard not to get caught up in the film’s big, sentimental sweep. Nov 29, 2022 Full Review Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic So many of the elements are so good that it all adds up to a pity. Someone, or more than one -- writer or producers or director or editor or all -- fogged up about why this picture was being made and whether it was on the rails. Aug 30, 2022 Full Review Charles Champlin Los Angeles Times A film to be debated and argued over seriously because it is an earnest, serious and impressive work, despite the reservations it is necessary to have about it. In a thin and evasive year, The Deer Hunter joins a thin company that aspire to greatness. Aug 30, 2022 Full Review Sean Burns Crooked Marquee There’s something elemental about the movie’s boys’ adventure machismo, a primal force that overpowers Cimino’s more cartoonish flourishes. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily Michael Cimino’s tale about the physical, emotional, and psychological impacts the Vietnam War had on a group of friends remains one of film's ultimate masterpieces. Very few movies have ever captured the unsparing aftermath of war quite as devastatingly. Jun 8, 2023 Full Review Richard Corliss New Times (magazine) It grabs you by the lapel and says, "Call me masterpiece!"... These weaknesses are The Deer Hunter's greatest strength -- because, in a year of timid moviemaking, they trumpet the film's daring to fail at being great. Sep 7, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Ernie K A thoughtfully acted drama of immense depth, with excellent performances all around punctuated by DeNiro's take on honor, relationships, and the horrors of war. Sincere, engrossing, and heart-rending. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/25 Full Review Audience Member Thought provoking but a bit too long. A unique take on the Vietnam war. Less about the actual fighting and more about the psyche of those who fought in it. Excellent acting all around. The pacing and strange snow capped mountains of PA (?) keep this movie from receiving a 5. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/25 Full Review Russ G Saw it on TV a number of years ago and thought it sucked infected donkey balls. Positively cannot stand Christopher Walken - the guy creeps me out. The only character he's fit to play is a zombie. Worst thing about this movie is that its alien-from-outer-space director was hailed as a genius and was given free reign to make Heaven's Gate which fittingly Stunk to High Heaven! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/06/25 Full Review Kurt M Masterpiece! An epic that shows the effects of war on individual soldiers better than any other movie I’ve seen. An epic journey that needed all three hours to develop and depict. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review Justin S A masterpiece. A film that truly portrays what friendship is all about. De Niro at his very best! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Ryan G Skip it for your own sake. Even considering outdated 70s cinematography, there were a few things that made this horrendous to even get through. Every single scene in this movie could have been included in the final cut and it still been sub-2 hours. So much time spent doing absolutely nothing, especially in the wedding scene. Also, the deer in “The Deer Hunter” isn’t even a deer species found in North America. It’s a Red Deer, not a Whitetail, Blacktail, or Muley. That, combined with a copious amount of other missed details make me wonder how this is so highly rated. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/16/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Robert De Niro as Michael in "The Deer Hunter." The Deer Hunter (1978) The Deer Hunter (1978) The Deer Hunter (1978) The Deer Hunter (1978) View more photos

Synopsis In 1968, Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), lifelong friends from a working-class Pennsylvania steel town, prepare to ship out overseas following Steven's elaborate wedding and one final group hunting trip. In Vietnam, their dreams of military honor are quickly shattered by the inhumanities of war; even those who survive are haunted by the experience, as is Nick's hometown sweetheart, Linda (Meryl Streep).

Director

Michael Cimino

Producer

Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, Barry Spikings

Screenwriter

Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn

Distributor

Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]

Production Co

Universal Pictures

Rating

Genre

War, Drama

Original Language

English

Release Date (Theaters)

Dec 8, 1978, Original

Release Date (Streaming)

Dec 2, 2016

Runtime

3h 3m

Sound Mix

Surround