I've seen parts of this movie in passing over the years but never tried to watch the whole thing.... So it was on a channel over the weekend with no commercials and I recorded it and watched it yesterday... Because it is a classic I forced my self to make it all the way through.... what idiot decided that thing needed to be over 3 hours long? I know it might be sacralidge but I just don't get what was so great about that movie... convoluted, disjointed and very hard to identify with any of the guys... If for no other reason them going hunting and being drunk and stupid... along with that I'm supposed to believe DeNero's character can shoot a buck that's on the run with a fast standing shot?

It is a complicated movie. It helps to have been a blue collar worker and living in the time of the Vietnam war, being subject to the draft. Three hours is a long movie. Not everyone likes epics. Saw it first in 1978.

I'm a fan of epics, war films, classic films, and epic classic war films.

However, I share your sentiment. I think it's highly overrated.

(But sure, it would "resonate" more with someone who had lived through the period in a similar situation. Naturally.)

Director Michael Cimino skyrocketed to fame after that movie.

...then he made "Heaven's Gate."

I watched it "in it's time" and thought it was too long back then too.

I didn't like it.

I saw this when it came out and it just didn't do anything for me. Long and boring except for the Vietnam scenes.

Agree with most of the above. I was of an age the film should have resonated but it didn't.
FWIW Although pretty early in his career, DeNiro already had some big credits under his belt -- "Mean Streets", "The Godfather", "Taxi Driver" -- but he was out of place and unconvincing in "The Deer Hunter". Not the least of the film's problems but yeah, there are a lot better things to do with your three hours.

About the only part I cared for was the Russian Roulette scene.

It plays like a 3 hour long fever dream.

I'll echo pretty much everything already said. It was "meh"...

I saw it on the big screen. When DeNiro capped the Cong in the Russian roulette scene, the entire theater cheered!

The buildup to 'Nam was too long.
A depressing movie, but there was some good acting.

I'm gonna go against the general grain here, I thought it was a great movie. I could identify with the insecurities of the characters, the frustrations, the hopelessness at times. I think that from my standpoint the director just kinda slowed it down to let you wallow in the crappy feelings for a while (yes, perhaps too long).

I like it and watch it when it comes on.

Glad somebody liked it.. to each their own... interesting part is the actor John Cazale was diving from lung cancer.

One mistake I saw and can't believe they did not fix... in the River scene where the helicopter comes to pull them off that bridge... they pick up one guy and leave the other two and then show the helicopter going up river and two guys are hanging off of the rails.. then it comes back picks them up and shows them hanging off the rails again...

And what that red stag was doing in Pennsylvania we'll never know.

I was too young during Vietnam to be able to appreciate the atmosphere of the time, but I do fully understand the need to cut loose and just have some fun now and then. I agree though that the lead up to their departure for the war was a little overly protracted. But overall I like the movie and watch it whenever it comes on.

Slight drift, I saw another movie the other day about the aftermath of guys returning from Vietnam, called Jacknife. It was made about 10 years after Deer Hunter and had DeNiro and Ed Harris in it. It was pretty good.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
And what that red stag was doing in Pennsylvania we'll never know.

+1. While many of the scenes did a fair job of capturing the working class steel culture, the mountainous hunting scenes bear little resemblance to W. Pennsylvania.

quote:

Originally posted by mod29:...
A depressing movie....

It was a depressing time of life.
Even though there was a lot of "good times", Vietnam, the draft, the hate, conflict and turmoil of the time, the Cold War and The Bomb as well as much uncertainty and the change was all palpable.

This movie brings (and brought) that to you, much as it felt even then.

Yes, it (and other films) are often hard to watch.

But, it also is a contrast to the things I have added in my life over the years, to "season" it, and I find I am richer and fortunate for all of it.

It is odd that they filmed a large portion in Pa, WV, and OH, but the hunting scenes seem to have been filmed in Washington State.