Director: Michael Cimino
Cast: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Shirley Stoler, Rutanya Alda, Pierre Segul, mady Kaplan, Amy Wright, Mary Ann Haenel, Richard Kuss,, & Joe Grifasi
Oscars: Barry Spikings, michael Deeley, Michael Cimino, John Peverall (best picture), Michael Cimino (director), Christopher Walken, (actor in support role), Peter Zinner (editing), Richard Portman, William L. McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, C. Darin Knight (sound)
Oscar Nominations: Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker (screenplay), Robert De Niro (actor), Meryl Streep (actress in support role), Vilmos Zsigmond (photography)
I was absolutely blown away from this movie! The ending is a downer, but they had scenes in this movie that were so memorable, that I'll never forget it! The Deer Hunter is a 3 hour movie, but it goes by really quickly.
The movie is split up in 8 parts. Meeting the boys of Clariton, Pennsylvania, Steven and Angela's wedding, Deer Hunting, Vietnam War, back home to Clariton, back to Saigon, and then they end the movie back in Clariton.
Sgt. Michael "Mike" Vronsky - Robert De Niro
Cpl. Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich- Christopher Walken
Cpl. Steven Pushkov-John Savage
Linda- Meryl Streep
Stanley ("Stosh")- John Cazale. All scenes involving Cazale, who had terminal cancer, had to be filmed first. Because of his illness, the studio initially wanted to get rid of him, but Streep, whom he was dating at the time, and Cimino threatened to walk away if they did.[22][23] He was also uninsurable, and according to Streep, De Niro paid for his insurance because he wanted him in the film. This was his last film, as he died shortly after filming wrapped. Cazale never saw the finished film.[22]
John Welsh- George Dzundza
Peter "Axel" Axelrod- Chuck Aspegren. Aspegren was not an actor, he was the foreman at an East Chicago steel works visited early in pre-production by De Niro and Cimino. They were so impressed with him that they offered him the role.
The Deer Hunter is about a group of 5 friends, who idiotic guys...cussing all the time and pulling pranks on each other. Michael, Nick, and Steven are set to fight in the Vietnam war, and Steven marries Angela, before his departure. Angela is pregnant with another mans baby! It is a Russian Orthodox ceremony, which was really cool to see different wedding traditions. Their tradition included crowns for the bride and groom. The choir singers were awful! I could not stand it...they were so out of tune! The wedding reception was a lot of fun! Traditional Russian kick dancing, and a lot of drinking! At the reception, Nick proposed marriage to Linda, and she promised to wait for him to return from war. As Nick, Michael, Stanley, John, & Axel ran after Steven and Angela in their car, Michael starts stripping and you see bush! Sorry... I tried finding pictures, but couldn't find any :o(
The boys, minus Steven, go Deer Hunting for the last time, and then it flashes to the Vietnam War, where Michael is confident and kicks ass, and let me tell you...quite attractive! My eyes were glued to the screen as Robert De Niro was dirty, in military uniform, and with the bandana on his head! Yum!
This is when the movie gets really good!!! Michael, Nick, and Steven were captured by Vietnamese men, and thrown into a life or death game of Russian Roulette. The put one bullet in the gun, spin the gun on the table (like spin the bottle), and wherever the barrel ends up, that individual has to put the gun up against his forehead, and pull the trigger! It was intense! I was sitting on the couch, and I could feel my shoulders raising up toward my cheeks because I was stressed out for them. Steven held the gun above his head, and grazing his head, and is thrown in a cage with rats and the contestants who lost, as punishment. Michael never showed any fear, he tried to be the strong one for Nick, who was an emotional mess. Michael talks the natives to put 3 bullets in the gun, and Nick and Michael kill them all and escape with Steven.
While floating down the river, an American helicopter spots, them, Nick climbs aboard, Steven looses his grip, and falls...Michael lets go, to grab Steven. In the fall, Steven breaks both of his legs, and they have to amputate them. Nick was taken to a military hospital, but is so emotionally damaged, that he forgets what his parents names are, and their birthday. Nick gets himself involved in Saigon's underworld of Russian Roulette and becomes numb, no fear, no emotion, no talking. It's like no one is there. Which is why I think it's bull shit that Christopher Walken won an Oscar. He didn't do anything to earn the award!
Michael separates himself from Steven, so he can seek medical attentions, and he goes on the search for Nick. Not knowing where Steven ended up, he ends up going back home, where he falls in love with Linda, and Linda seeks comfort in Michael, because of her loss with Nick. Nick had not written any letters to Linda, while he was gone. Michael visits Angela, who is so distraught about Steven, that she couldn't even answer his questions. She just wrote down a number, a number where Michael could reach Steven at a Veteran's home, where he's learning to deal with being an amputee and having a wheelchair. I was actually really impressed with this wheelchair, because it actually looked like actor John Savage, was an amputee, you couldn't tell at all that his real legs were hiding.
In the end, Michael flies back to Saigon, to find Nick. He know that he's alive, because every month, Steven received cash from anonymous, he knew the money had to have come from Nick. In Saigon, Michael travels to the underworld, being bribed for a lot of money, for the location of the American who plays Russian Roulette. I hate to leave you at a teasing moment, but in order to find out what happens, you'll have to watch the movie.
All in all...watch the movie for the Russian Roulette scene. It's apart of cinema history, that you'll never forget.
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