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Hamburger Hill (1987),
Director: John Irvin, rated R for war violence,
language
The most
realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War ever filmed.
Because it's the only one that's true
  Starring:
Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, Don Cheadle, Michael Dolan,
Don James, Dylan McDermott, Michael A. Nickles, Harry O'Reilly,
Daniel O'Shea, Tim Quill, Courtney B. Vance, Steven Weber
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- good
"You listen to me.
We're gonna take this f'ing hill, Newsman. And if I catch you on
top taking pictures of any of my people, I will blow your f'ing
head off. You haven't earned a right to be here. You got
that?" -
Sgt. Frantz
Why watch this?
It's more realistic and grittier than
Platoon.
Plot Summary:
During the Vietnam War in 1969, a squad of the 101st Airborne
Division faces intense combat and harsh conditions while tasked
with capturing a strategically vital, heavily defended position
known as Hill 937. The platoon, composed of experienced soldiers
and raw recruits, battles exhaustion, racial tensions, and the
psychological toll of war while mounting repeated, costly
assaults up the mud-soaked mountain.
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Dad's Preview:
The Vietnam war was a mess, both politically and
logistically. It was unpopular at home, and soldiers
quickly learned the facts when they landed "in country".
Those facts being that jungle warfare against a
dug-in, invisible enemy is brutal and horrible,
especially when you can't tell enemy from friend. This
film, which focuses on a single platoon in one
operation, harshly exposes us to the men's hardships,
racial tensions, and the true guts it took to endure.
All this in a seemingly futile effort to take and
re-take a nameless hill for "strategic reasons". Many
Vietnam veterans, who fought in that war, credit this as
the most realistic effort committed to film. |
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Marcia
Nasatir, James Carabatsos, RKO Pictures;
Paramount Pictures |
