Others say...

"A defining film in the long history of war movies"
Deer Hunter is the story of a group of young American men prior to, during and after their service as GI's in Vietnam. It is a powerful, intimate and realistic movie that touches the very soul of the American Dream. The young men are innocent, a bit lost in their world, naive, full of life and expecting a lot from their future prior to fighting in Vietnam. Then they get there, in the midst of war, in that place where they lose all of their illusions, their mind or their body for some. Save for friendship, they come back from Vietnam as haunted shells.

The movie is a beautiful, almost documentary-like story. It tackles the questioning and naivety of the youth, the atrocity of war, the appalling handling of war casualties -be they physical or mental- as well as the power of true feelings in times of troubles and, most importantly, the need for finding something worth living for. Some of the characters will find it in friendship, or in respecting life, all of them will call it America.

The story line is extremely well supported by a plethora of top notch actors (de Niro, Savage, Walken, Strip...) that further add to the overall quality of the movie.

After watching Deer Hunter, the concept of war and freedom will never be the same again.

"Skip it"
I nearly fell asleep three times in the first hour alone. The last thirty minutes was a contrived joke and I hardly understand why it's called The Deer Hunter-should be plural. I like Deniro, Streep, and Walken but this movie is pretentious and boring.

"quick shipping, great service"
dvd in great shape, exactly what i ordered and arrived very quickly. very pleased with the service and would do business with them again.

"One shot "
1978's " The Deer Hunter " is pure character driven drama fueld by explosive and unforgettable scenes of turmoil , isolation , destruction , and hope. Michael Cimino's formula of providing the characters room for development ( or lack thereof ) ensures that each person in this unforgettable story comes full circle. Whereas , the film has tendancies to drag out scenes , the attention to detail actually makes the film's story stronger. The acting is superb. Played out by a steller cast featuring knockout performances by John Savage , Meryl Streep , Robert DeNiro , John Cazale , George Dezunda , and an electrifying personofied tour de force performance by Christopher Walken. The latter ( Walken )winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Too many detailed scenes to nail just one , although the film's most controversial and famous scene involved a violent/unpredictable game of russian roulette. * Whereas , a game of russian roulette might not have ever happened in a Vietnam prison camp , this scene totally nails the isolation , fears and savagery inflicted upon US p.o.w.'s.
Micheal Cimino's direction is superb as he unflinchingly captures lightening in a bottle through realization by shooting small stolen moments ( that any other director would've edited out , during post production ) and leads us to a significant and powerful clixax. If every director has his masterpiece , this was certainly his. And it is still a film that no other film has come close to comparing to except for Oliver Stone's Vietnam portrait Platoon. But even that film can't compare fully. " The Deer Hunter " is on a level of it's own for it's concentration on the characters. It's unlikely that another film will ever be shot like this again. It's simply not Hollywood formula. And it has a feel like it was produced and written by people who were passionate enough to focus on the story and let it unweave into a series of mezmerizing images and goes to never ending depths of character development.
The cinematography is excellent and captures the resolute beauty of the character's steel mill town , to the rustic mountains , to the contrasting brutality and harsh climates of Vietnam. The score is composed brillantly and will be forever connected to the film.
In an era far gone but not forgotten , " The Deer Hunter " sets it's story in a sleepy Pennsylvania steel town and focuses on a core group of friends that have made their lives around this dreary yet true american blue collar existance. However , with three friends soon leaving for enlistment into the military to do their part in the Vietnam campaign , things gradually and drastically change. A true American tale and a truly amazing production.

One shot stats :

Winner of 5 Academy Awards in 1979.
Best Picture
Best Directer
Best Supporting Actor
Best Sound

Nominated Oscars ( but no win )
Best Lead Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay

*There are many more accolades , nominations , and various awards for this production. Too many to name here. Needless to say , " The Deer Hunter " isn't a film to be taken lightly or missed. I highly recommend the film , as it is in my personal top 3 films of all time.


"HD-DVD review only"
Speaking strictly on the HD-DVD version of the film: The quality of the picture is outstanding! If ever a movie deserves the benefits of ever-advancing technology, this is the one. The improvement over the SD (standard def) DVD is remarkable, esp. in scenes with extreme colors (i.e. early shots in the steel mill, and even the curtains at Linda's house...never noticed the pattern on them before!). Also, the HD-DVD disc includes scenes deleted from the original print, which is a good lesson to any budding film-makers out there: less is indeed more.