How Long Is “The Deer Hunter”?

Not a film for the faint-hearted, the Deer Hunter is a powerful, deeply disturbing look at the horrors of the Vietnam War and the long-term effects of the war on a trio of life-long friends. Running three hours long, the story is divided into as many chapters that represent their lives before, during and after the war. In this truly unforgettable film, director Michael Cimino's relatively unbiased view of the events (he seems to be neither for or against the war) is sure to generate discussion. Three best friends, Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), who are from Clairton, a blue-collar, steelworking town, go on a hunting trip with their buddies on the eve of their departure for military service. They end up serving together in the same unit in Vietnam, and are captured and tortured together by the Viet Cong. In one harrowing scene, they are forced to play Russian roulette, but manage to turn the tables on their captors and win their freedom. Steven is wounded during those events, and he and Nick both spend time in military hospitals. They are all separated from one another, and Steven, who has lost his legs, refuses to leave the veteran's hospital in California where he has been recuperating, but is persuaded to leave when Michael visits him. Having done his best for Steven, Michael tracks Nick down in Saigon. He has been earning money by playing Russian roulette in seedy bars.