The Deer Hunter

Parents need to know that The Deer Hunter, director Michael Cimino's 183-minute, 1978 epic, uses extreme violence to underscore the brutality of war and men's best and worst tendencies. The lives of three great friends are ruined when the Pennsylvania steelworkers join the army, see hideous combat in Vietnam, and suffer post-traumatic stress. The graphic violence and depiction of psychological trauma are not for kids. Women and children are deliberately killed by soldiers. Prisoners are tortured and, most famously, forced to play Russian Roulette for the amusement of captors gambling on the outcomes. Several men shoot themselves in the head. War trauma sends some of them even deeper into a netherworld of violence and, in at least one case, drug addiction. A drunk man who has stripped off his clothes is seen nude from far in the dark. The language is coarse: "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "p---y," "bitch," "bastard," and "faggot." Men drink shots and beers with their breakfast. Drunk driving is depicted. The movie was a critical success, won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and was designated number 79 on the American Film Institute's list, "100 Greatest Movies." The commentary on violence, war, survival, and friendship may be lost on younger viewers amid the horror and violence.