The Deer Hunter Movie
The Deer Hunter is an excellent 1978 war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino. The story follows a group of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives are profoundly affected after serving in the Vietnam War. The film has a great cast, with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage playing the three soldiers. John Cazale is in his final role, and Meryl Streep and George Dzundza also do well in supporting roles.
The story takes place in Clairton, Pennsylvania, a blue-collar town along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. The gripping storyline also takes us to the tragic landscape of Vietnam. Over the years, The Deer Hunter has earned tremendous acclaim and recognition. It holds a place on various famous lists of the greatest films of all time.
You are watching: The Deer Hunter Ending Explained, Plot, Cast and more
In the 2007 edition of the American Film Institute’s “AFI 100 Years…100 Movies” rankings, “The Deer Hunter” was rated the 53rd greatest American film of all time. Its inclusion highlights its lasting impact on the film. In addition, the film was deemed to be of cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1996.
The Deer Hunter is a powerful portrait of the human experience during and after the Vietnam War. Its gripping narrative, outstanding performances, and insightful exploration of the impact of war have cemented its status as an iconic and timeless work of cinema.
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Deer Hunter ending explained
The Deer Hunter is a powerful film that follows the lives of three friends as they face the horrors of the Vietnam War. After a series of intense experiences, the film ends with a profound impact on each character. In the film’s climax, three friends, Mike, Steven and Nick, find themselves captured by the Vietcong. Their lives hang in the balance in a cruel game of Russian roulette.
Unfortunately, Steven is separated from the group, locked in a cage, and thrown into a river filled with corpses. The cruelty of their situation becomes painfully obvious. Determined to save their friend, Mike and Nick devise a daring plan to escape their kidnappers. In a moment of courage and desperation, they overpowered the guards and took control of the situation. Together they manage to rescue Steven and find temporary shelter on a floating tree trunk.
As the story develops, Nick is eventually rescued by the crew, but the fates of Steven and Mike take a different turn. As Nick receives treatment in the hospital, the physical and psychological trauma he suffered during his captivity is evident. Meanwhile, Steven and Mike remain trapped in Saigon, struggling to cope with the aftermath of their traumatic ordeal. Returning to their former lives in Pennsylvania proves to be a challenge as they struggle to readjust to civilian society.
The profound trauma they have experienced sets them apart from those who cannot understand the depth of their pain. The ending of The Deer Hunter leaves a lasting impact, highlighting the devastating consequences of war on the human psyche. It charts the enduring struggle of soldiers who witness unimaginable horrors and often find themselves isolated and misunderstood upon returning to civilian life.
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The Deer Hunter cast
throw |
Features |
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Robert De Niro |
Staff Sergeant Michael Walensky (“Mike” |
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Christopher Walken |
Corporal Nikano Chivotalevich (“Nick”) |
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John Savage |
Corporal Steven Pushkov |
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John Kaser |
Stanley |
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Meryl Streep |
Linda |
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George Dunza |
john welsh |
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Pierre Sage |
Julian Grinda |
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Shirley Stoller |
steven’s mother |
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Chuck Aspergren |
Peter Axelrod (“Axel”) |
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Lutania Alda |
Angela Ludduravik-Pushkov |
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Paul D’Amato |
sergeant |
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Amy Wright |
bridesmaid |
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Joe Grifassi |
band leader |
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Deer Hunter plot
The Deer Hunter follows three close friends, Mike, Steven and Nick, living in a tight-knit Slavic-American community in western Pennsylvania in the late 1960s. The friends worked together in a steel mill and shared a passion for deer hunting.
The Vietnam War is imminent, and the three are preparing to depart for military service. Steven was engaged to Angela, but she became pregnant with another man’s child. Mike and Nick have a deep relationship and live together.
They both fell in love with Linda, who moved in with them to escape her abusive father. At Steven and Angela’s wedding, Nick impulsively proposed to Linda, who accepted. Nick pleads with Mike to ensure his safe return from Vietnam. A group of friends embark on a final deer hunt, and Mike expertly kills a deer with a single shot.
In early 1969, during the Vietnam War, Mike, an airborne Green Beret, accidentally met Nick and Steven in a village. However, their reunion was short-lived as they were captured by the Viet Cong and imprisoned in cages near the River Kwai. The kidnappers force them to play Russian roulette, risking their lives. When Steven refuses to participate, he is placed in a cage with corpses and rats.
Mike uses his cunning to convince his kidnappers to load three bullets into the revolver’s cylinder. Together, Mike and Nick use weapons to escape their captors. The three go down the river, but Nick is shot in the leg.
They are eventually rescued by an American helicopter, but Steven falls into the river again. Mike bravely dives into the water to save him, while Nick is airlifted away. Steven suffers multiple fractures from the fall, and Mike holds him until they encounter refugees fleeing to Saigon.
Nick was treated at a U.S. military hospital but soon developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In trouble, he enters a casino where a French businessman named Julien convinces him to join. Unsettled by Nick’s presence, Nick interrupts a game of Russian roulette and pulls the trigger on himself. Mike witnesses the act but is unable to intervene, and Nick and Julian quickly leave.
In 1970, Mike returned to his hometown but had difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. He avoided attending the welcome-home party, choosing instead to stay alone at the hotel. Mike visits Linda, only to discover that Nick has abandoned them. He then visits Angela, now a mother but in a state of tension due to Steven’s return as a patient. Mike’s other friends Stan, Axel, and John are blind to the realities of the war and do not understand Mike’s experience.
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Mike found comfort in Linda’s company. During a hunting trip, Stan accidentally threatens Axel with a pistol, causing Mike to become furious. Mike loaded just one round and aimed it at Stan’s head, triggering an empty chamber. Mike visits Steven at the VA hospital, where he learns that Steven has lost both legs and an arm. Steven refused to return home, feeling alienated and out of place.
Steven reveals that he received a large amount of money from Vietnam, and Mike deduces that Nick is the source of the funds. Mike convinced Steven to return to Angela’s care. Determined to find Nick, Mike returns to Vietnam. In the chaotic streets of Saigon, he finds Julian and convinces him to take him to the casino. There, Mike confronts Nick, who has become a pro at this deadly game but doesn’t recognize his old friend.
Despite Mike’s efforts to reason with him, Nick, now a heroin addict, remains unmoved. During a game of Russian roulette, Mike evokes memories of their past hunting trips. Nick instantly remembered Mike’s “one-hit kill” technique, smiled and pulled the trigger, ending his own life.
As Mike and his friends attend Nick’s funeral, a melancholy atmosphere falls over the local pub. John got emotional and started singing “God Bless America” in honor of Nick, and everyone eventually joined in, their voices filled with sadness and respect.
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Where can I watch Deer Hunter?
The Deer Hunter is available to stream on a variety of platforms, including:
- Netflix
- hot star
- vote
- Gio Cinema
The film tells the story of a group of friends from working-class backgrounds who decide to join the Army during the Vietnam War. However, their experiences in the war were far from the noble and heroic cause they imagined. Before they set off, one of their friends, Steven, married his pregnant girlfriend. Meanwhile, Michael and Nick find themselves falling in love with the same woman.
After returning from the war, the three friends are profoundly changed, each struggling to cope with the painful effects of their experiences. The film is a poignant reminder of the lasting scars left by war and the challenges faced by those ravaged by it.
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About Deer Hunter
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directed by |
Michael Cimino |
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screenwriter |
Derek Washburn Michael Cimino (uncredited) |
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Story by |
Derek Washburn Michael Cimino Louis Garfinkel Quinn K. Redeker |
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release date |
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nation |
U.K. USA |
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language |
English Russian Vietnamese French |
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Category: Entertainment