Most Films Over 3 Hours Drag, But This Robert De Niro War Movie Is A Rare Exception

Robert De Niro has starred in some epic movies in his career, but fans should not be intimidated by the substantial runtime of his war masterpiece, The Deer Hunter. By the time The Deer Hunter came around in 1976, De Niro’s movie career had already made him one of the most popular actors in Hollywood.

De Niro won the Oscar for his role as young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II and began his incredible collaboration with Martin Scorsese in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. The Deer Hunter was another massive achievement for De Niro, with the movie earning high praise and winning the Oscar for Best Picture.

However, The Deer Hunter is not always mentioned as frequently as De Niro’s other classic movies. However, while there is likely one big factor preventing a lot of people from checking out the Vietnam War movie, it is not as much of a hurdle as it seems.

The Deer Hunter Is Over 3 Hours, But Makes Full Use Of Its Runtime

The Deer Hunter Makes Every Moment Essential

The Deer Hunter clocks in at 184 minutes, making a lot of people flinch at the prospect of sitting down for a movie for over three hours. It seems that three hours has become the limit for when audiences feel a movie is too long. However, in the case of The Deer Hunter, not a single minute of the runtime is wasted.

The movie is a sweeping epic story that relies on an expansive story in order to really deliver its impact. It takes place in a working-class Pennsylvania community, following a group of young men from the town who volunteer to fight in the Vietnam War. After being captured by the Viet Cong army, they are subjected to sadistic torture.

While the men are able to escape their brutal captivity, the experience changes them forever. The movie then explores the aftermath of their time in the war and how the horrors and trauma they experienced have lasting effects not only on them but on their community of friends and loved ones as well.

The movie is almost split into three sections, showing the characters’ lives before, during, and after the war. Without spending so much time with these characters before the war, seeing the various relationships and drama, it wouldn’t mean as much to see it all shattered later on.

Likewise, the harrowing Vietnam War section is necessary, including the horrific Russian Roulette scenes, because of what comes later with some of the dark turns the characters take. Each sequence is riveting, emotional, and essential, never feeling like the story is dragging, and when it is over, you’ll be shocked at how fast three hours can feel.

Other 3-Hour+ Movies That Feel A Lot Shorter

These Movies Prove 3 Hours Isn’t So Long

Famed critic Roger Ebert once said that “no good movie is long enough and no bad movie is short enough.” That sentiment is proven true by so many great movies that make it feel like three hours have gone by in a flash. Like The Deer Hunter, these movies use their expanded runtimes to tell complete stories.

One of the more recent examples is Oppenheimer, coming in at exactly 180 minutes. Like The Deer Hunter, it tells a vast story that unfolds in sections, with each one feeling essential to what comes later. However, Christopher Nolan is a filmmaker who knows how to thrill audiences, even making nuclear physics and senate hearings captivating.

There has been criticism of modern blockbusters being too long, but Avengers: Endgame earned its 3-hour+ runtime with the culmination of over a decade of cinematic storytelling. Saying goodbye to key characters, tying multiple storylines together, and delivering an emotional climax was a daunting task that the MCU pulled off while making it entertaining.

Aside from The Deer Hunter, Robert De Niro has also starred in some movies over three hours that are terrific from beginning to end, including The Godfather Part II and The Irishman. The Irishman director, Martin Scorsese, also delivered the wild and hilarious The Wolf of Wall Street at three hours, yet it is still endlessly rewatchable.

There are other fine examples, including Seven Samurai, Titanic, and The Right Stuff, that add to the argument that three hours doesn’t need to feel long. Many people may have decided that another over three hours is where they draw the line, but they would be missing out on The Deer Hunter and other great, complete stories.