KINORAFIELD GUIDE TO FILM
How we tag
1978 · 183 min · R

The Deer Hunter

Directed by Michael Cimino · Drama, War

The Deer Hunter (1978) is a Drama film, directed by Michael Cimino set in Saigon during the 1960s–1970s. It runs 183 minutes and is rated R.

A survival, with a bleak and melancholic tone. Themes of war's cost, grief & loss, and survival run throughout.

Composer
Stanley Myers
Cinematography
Vilmos Zsigmond
Cast
Robert De NiroChristopher WalkenJohn CazaleJohn SavageMeryl StreepGeorge DzundzaRutanya AldaPierre Segui

The world of this film

Setting

Where
Saigon

Premise & themes

Premise
Themes
War's CostGrief & LossSurvival
Tone
BleakMelancholic

Shape

Protagonist
Ensemble
Pacing
Slow Burn
Based on
Pure Fiction
  • 2019

    1917

    France — 1910s
    Rural · Wilderness · Undergrounddir. Sam Mendes
  • 1979

    Alien

    Far Future
    Off Worlddir. Ridley Scott
  • 2022

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    France — 1910s
    Rural · Wildernessdir. Edward Berger
  • 2006

    Children of Men

    London — Near Future
    Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Alfonso Cuarón
  • 1985

    Come and See

    Belarus — 1940s
    Rural · Wildernessdir. Elem Klimov
  • 1981

    Das Boot

    La Rochelle — 1940s
    Coastal Sea · Undergrounddir. Wolfgang Petersen