A harrowing masterpiece. Essential example of the effects of war on people. Because after all we are all human. Deer Hunter is demoralising and exceptionally powerful

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2006)

The Deer Hunter (1978)
Number 1 - 1978
Top 20 - 1970s
Winner of 5 Academy Awards, Including Best Picture and Best Director
Michael Cimino's graphic look at the brutality of the Vietnam War, and how the young minds of the American nation were lured towards the deep jungles of the Vietcong. With a remarkable cast that includes two time Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep with Christopher Walken in an Oscar Winning role, The Deer Hunter is truly an astonishing film, that is brilliantly directed by Cimino. Powerful and uncompromising cinema.
Rarely do you see a film to distill the absolute horrors of war and demonstrate them in such manner. Deer Hunter is an absolute masterpiece and a superb documentation of the terrifying effects of war.
Stands solidly in my top 20 films. I recommend it to anyone who has not seen this powerful masterpiece. Watch it once. That will be enough for one lifetime.
"Dark, Haunting and brutally realistic"
"The best film of 1978"
"Perhaps the greatest Vietnam war movie ever made"