The Deer Hunter with its unforgettable Russian Roulette scenes, is released

The Deer Hunter Released: December 8, 1978 Studio: Universal Genre: war epic Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 48.98 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 176.50 Worldwide: ?

Directing: Michael Cimino Screenwriting: Michael Cimino, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker, Deric Washburn Starring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep Directing: Michael Cimino Review: This is a “disturbing, emotionally powerful film” FS is “still America’s most controversial (and affecting) movie about the U.S. experience of the Vietnam War.” T98 “This sensitive, painful, evocative work packs an emotional wallop.” LM The story focuses specifically on Michael (De Niro), Nick (Walken), and Steven (Savage), three Pittsburgh steelworker buddies “who hang out in bars and hunt deer.” FS “Steven is getting married while Michael and Nick compete over the affections of Linda (Streep).” FS Their “lives are irrevocably changed by a tour of duty in Vietnam” A98 in which they are captured by the enemy and “among other things, …are forced to endure a game of Russian Roulette in the P.O.W. camp.” FS “De Niro is classic as the force that gets them out of a sadistic Vietnamese riverside prison.” VD He returns to Vietnam to try to rescue his “estranged friend Walken” A07 who regularly plays Russian Roulette “in a back alley of Saigon.” A07 This was director Michael Cimino’s second film. He’d debuted in 1974 with Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, “a cult crime caper starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges as the titular characters.” FS However, his career was destroyed by the disastrous epic Heaven’s Gate (1980).” FS Sources: A98 American Film Institute (1998). “AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies” A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” T98 Time Out (1998). “Readers’ Top 100 Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 5 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Walken), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Nominations: 9 – including Best Actor (De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Streep), Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Leonard Maltin First posted 5/31/2023.