The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter: With only one previous effort under his belt (the crime action pic Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), filmmaker Michael Cimino exploded on the scene with this epic three hour war drama, a huge box office success that won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken) and Best Director (Cimino). Scuttling the conventional wisdom that audiences didn’t want to see movies about the Vietnam War, it opened the floodgates for Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), Oliver Stone’s Platoon (1986) and Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987). Three Russian American Pennsylvania steelworkers (Robert De Niro, John Savage, Walken) celebrate on the eve of their departure for the Army. Once in Nam, the three are thrown into hell, captured by the Viet Cong. Forced to play Russian Roulette by their captors, they turn the tables, escape but are separated. Back home, De Nir