The Deer Hunter depicts three Russian-American working-class friends living in a small Western Pennsylvania town who decide to enlist in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, and some believe that the film is based on a true story. The 1978 epic war drama movie, which is over three hours long, starred Robert De Niro as Staff Sergeant Mike Vronsky, Christopher Walken as Corporal Nick Chevotarevich, and John Savage as Corporal Steven Pushkov. Their characters go through various ups and downs throughout the film once they come to understand the brutalities of war.
The rest of the cast of The Deer Hunter includes John Cazale as Stanley, Meryl Streep as Linda, George Dzundza as John Welsh, Pierre Segui as Julien Grinda, Chuck Aspegren as Peter “Axel” Axelrod, and Rutanya Alda as Angela Ludhjduravic-Pushkov. Shortly following its premiere, the movie received rave reviews and was recognized at various award shows. The Deer Hunter won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Walken. Given the hype surrounding the film, one has to wonder how director Michael Cimino and writer Deric Washburn came up with the story for the extensive project.
The Deer Hunter Is Not Based On A True Story
Although The Deer Hunter is extremely powerful and complex, it is not inspired by true events. It was partially based on an unproduced screenplay, The Man Who Came to Play, by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker, but the filmmakers changed the story’s Las Vegas setting to a warzone in Vietnam. Russian roulette was a significant part of the original script, so the writers adapted that aspect for The Deer Hunter, which is one of the most memorable scenes in the 1978 epic war drama film. Related: Every Movie Robert De Niro Transformed Himself For (& How)
The Deer Hunter’s Historical Inaccuracies Caused Massive Backlash
Although The Deer Hunter is considered one of the best films ever made, the movie did receive some backlash following its release due to some historically inaccurate elements depicted in the three-hour feature film. The depiction of the Vietnam War, and especially the Russian roulette scene, was criticized as an incorrect representation of what happened overseas in the 1960s. In the film, the three friends — Mike, Nick, and Steven — were captured by the Viet Cong while fighting in the war. While they were prisoners of war, the three characters were forced to play a game of Russian roulette.
The scene became highly controversial, and some were baffled by the filmmakers adding Russian roulette to the movie, given that it held no historical accuracy. They claimed that the Viet Cong pushing the three prisoners of war to play the dangerous game had no real basis in history. Nevertheless, The Deer Hunter is still praised for its overall story, direction, cast performances, and cinematography.
