84 DEER HUNTER, THE
then turning on their enemies. Nick and Mike kill the guards and rescue Steven;
then the trio floats down the river in search of rescue. Although an American he li -
cop ter unit spots them, Nick is the only one who can make it aboard. Steven, weak
from his torture, slides back into the water, and Mike goes in after him. Mike man-
ages to get Steven to the riverbank and then carries him through the jungle to
the American lines. Meanwhile, Nick convalesces in a field hospital in Saigon,
battling against post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and worrying about the
fate of his friends. After his wounds heal, Nick leaves the hospital and goes absent
without leave (AWOL). He walks through Saigon’s red- light district and into a
gambling den. Mike is also in the den, watching a game of Rus sian roulette but
not participating. Nick enters the game, and Mike notices his friend and senses
that he is not acting like himself. Nick takes the gun and fires it at another player
before turning the gun on himself. Nick survives, but is driven away by Julien
Grinda (Pierre Segui) before Mike can catch him. [Act III] Stateside, Mike arrives
home, but he is unable to embrace the friends who wait for him with a “welcome
home” banner outside the house. He and Linda spend time together the next
day, thinking that they’ve lost Nick forever. Mike also visits Angela, but she is
cold and clearly depressed. She tells Mike that Steven is at a VA hospital. Upon
reaching the VA hospital, Mike realizes that Steven has had both legs amputated
and is para lyzed. Steven tells Mike that an anonymous source in Saigon has
been mailing him money and that he suspects the source to be Nick. Mike
delivers Steven to Angela, then goes back to Saigon in search of Nick just before
it falls to the communists [late April 1975]. Mike discovers Nick gambling, but
Nick appears to be ignorant of who Mike is and where he comes from. Nick tries
to jog his friend’s memory using a game of Rus sian roulette, but Nick is too far
gone. To keep him away from the gun, Mike grabs Nick’s arms, revealing scars
that are obviously heroin tracks. Nick fi nally recognizes Mike, smiles, and tells
him he wants to take “one [more] shot.” Nick then raises the gun to his head
and pulls the trigger. This time a live round is in the gun’s top chamber and, to
Mike’s horror, Nick kills himself. [Epilogue] Mike has brought his body home,
making good his promise. After gathering for Nick’s funeral and burial, they all
repair to John’s bar and sing “God Bless Amer i ca,” as Mike lifts a toast in Nick’s
honor.Reception
To qualify for Oscar nominations, The Deer Hunter was released for a week in New
York and Los Angeles (8–15 December 1978). The film then went into wide release
on 23 February 1979, just after nominations were announced. A resounding com-
mercial and critical success, The Deer Hunter grossed nearly $50 million at the box
office and earned nine Acad emy Award nominations, nine BAFTA nominations,
and six Golden Globe nominations. It went on to win five Oscars— for Best Picture,
Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken), Best Film Editing,
and Best Sound. But the movie also generated a firestorm of controversy for its
depiction of the Viet Cong as bloodthirsty sadists who used Rus sian roulette as