"The [Russian roulette] scenes serve as a metaphor for the brutality of war," Kinn and Piazza write of the 1978 film directed by Michael Cimino. ""Anything less powerful might not have challenged the patriotic, buddy-buddy fervor with which the film's tight group of friends from a small steel-mill town enlist to prove their manhood and their deep love of country."
The five films "Deer" actor John Cazale appeared in were all nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.