Great Scene: “The Deer Hunter”

This has to rank as one of the most riveting scenes in movie history: The Russian roulette sequence in The Deer Hunter (1978).

Setting: Vietnam War. Two captured American soldiers, surrounded by Vietnamese guards, forced to take turns putting a pistol to their heads and pulling the trigger, while the guards place bets on who’s going to die. Meanwhile, a third soldier in locked in a floating cage, fighting exhaustion and rats — a worthy ticking clock.

Here is the scripted version of the scene:

And here’s the sequence from the movie:

Quite a few changes in terms of dialogue between script and screen, but the overall trajectory of the scene plays just the same, leading to its gut-wrenching conclusion.

This is a set-up for another game of Russian Roulette, reprised with both Michael and Nick — an equally as shocking scene.

I remember seeing this movie in a small theater in Aspen, Colorado when it was released. It’s one of those film experiences where you step outside and you feel like you see the world in a different way. In this case, a much darker world.

For more articles in the Great Scene series, go here.