One of the best war movies ever is airing on TV tonight

The film won five Oscars, including in the Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor categories.

The film begins in 1968 and follows Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage), lifelong friends from a working-class Pennsylvania steel town.

Preparing to ship out for military service in Vietnam, before they go, they attend Steven's elaborate wedding and embark on one final group hunting trip.

"In Vietnam, their dreams of military honour are quickly shattered by the inhumanities of war," the plot synopsis reads.

"Even those who survive are haunted by the experience, as is Nick's hometown sweetheart, Linda (Meryl Streep)."

The Deer Hunter sparked controversy for its depiction of Vietnam, particularly its much-publicised scenes of the Viet Cong forcing American captives to play Russian roulette, a plot point widely criticised as having no historical basis.

Nevertheless, the movie was a massive hit at the box office and with critics. It went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Cimino, and Best Supporting Actor for Walken.

Decades later, the three-hour-long drama remains a devastating exploration of what critic Roger Ebert called "the deliberately random violence" of war and how it impacts an ordinary group of friends.

The film also boasts some of the best acting viewers are ever likely to see. It's worth noting that the great John Cazale (Fredo in The Godfather) has a supporting role in The Deer Hunter, which was his final movie appearance before his death at 42.

The war drama is airing on TV tonight on the channel RTÉ One at 11.10pm. The Deer Hunter is also available to rent on Apple TV, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.