A powerful, emotional ride.

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 1999)

Cimino's 1978 effort is one of the most moving films of the decade. Deniro, fresh off of his Academy Award for Godfather II, is brilliant as Michael, and Walken rightfully wins Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Nick.
The story revolves around a close group of steel workers in the blue collar town of Clairton, PA. Three of the six men are off to Vietnam in a few days, and the film examines the effect of major stress on their friendships. Michael is the quiet leader of this group, and he joins Nick and Steven in Vietnam. Before they make that journey, Steven gets married. The remaining five men go on one final hunting trip together, the "Deer Hunter" being Deniro's character. Here we learn of Michael's one shot philosophy when hunting deer. One shot - an important theme of the film.
The first half of the film is devoted to outlining their lives in that mill town. The complications that come with everyday life, the intricacies of friendship, trust, love, fear, confusion, and Rolling Rock. Once in Vietnam, the men undergo changes that will alter their lives forever.
The roulette scenes which make this film famous may be entirely fictitious. It does not matter. Cimino presents them in such a realistic and powerful manner that you cannot help getting caught up in the scenes. Particularly toward the end of the film, you will find your heart racing. This movie was one of the first films involving Vietnam, yet the film is not about war. It is about the effect of war and stress on a friendship and how some things can never be the same.
I give this film 9 stars out of 10, with a point deducted for a mediocre final scene. The score is powerful, the cinematography is exceptional for the seventies.
In a final note, John Cazale, most notable as Fredo Corleone, gives a great performance as Stan, the weak and nearly pathetic friend of Michael. He was once engaged to Meryl Streep, who plays the lead female role. This was his final performance, as this wonderful actor was dying of bone cancer while filming.