Because Hamburger Hill was released less than a year after Oliver Stone's Platoon and within months of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, this exceptionally well-made film about one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War was largely overshadowed and overlooked. It's a pity, because in some respects this is the best of .. Read more
| Starring | Anthony Barrile, Tim Quill, Michael Dolan, Don James |
|---|---|
| Director | John Irvin |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
loading...
Because Hamburger Hill was released less than a year after Oliver Stone's Platoon and within months of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, this exceptionally well-made film about one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War was largely overshadowed and overlooked. It's a pity, because in some respects this is the best of the Vietnam films of the late 1980s, at least in terms of the everyday authenticity it depicts. Stripped clean of dramatically extraneous narrative, the movie opts instead for a straightforward approach to its day-by-day account of one of the war's costliest victories--a deadly siege on Hill 937 in the Ashau Valley, where soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division engaged the enemy over the course of 11 brutal assaults between May 10 and May 20, 1969. The film specifically follows the 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, a mixture of "new guys" and battle-weary "short-timers" who fought against terrifying odds and suffered a 70 per cent casualty rate. From first scene to last, Hamburger Hill traces the rise and fall of their battle experience, from the horror of fire-fights to the camaraderie of men who've faced death and survived. Racial tensions flare and subside, trusts are established and courage emerges from unexpected places. Through it all, writer Jim Carabatsos and director John Irvin maintain a purity of focus that pays tribute to the soldier's life without promoting false patriotism or gung-ho theatrics. In addition, the film features a cast full of talented and well-known actors in the early stages of their careers, including Dylan McDermott and Don Cheadle (Devil in a Blue Dress, Boogie Nights). Colour accuracy, image clarity and the explosive soundtrack have been remarkably preserved in a flawless DVD transfer, lending even greater immediacy to this underrated film. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
| Starring | Anthony Barrile, Tim Quill, Michael Dolan, Don James, Don Cheadle |
|---|---|
| Director | John Irvin |
| Studio | LIONSGATE |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 45 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 49 mins Watch now: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English Watch Online: English |
| Subtitles | DVD: None |
| Released | DVD: 23 Jul 2001 Blu-ray: 07 Dec 2009 Watch now: 13 Jul 2009 Production year: 1987 |
| Watch now | £2.49 |
Unjustly overshadowed by Oliver Stone's Platoon and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, John Irvin's Hamburger Hill is almost their equal. The story has the classic simplicity of a past era of war movies: troops of the 101st Airborne Division attack Hill 937 in the Ashau Valley, Vietnam, and after 10 days and 11 assaults, when everyone has been put through the meat grinder, the hill is renamed after America's favourite fast food. Reducing the Vietnam War to the level of symbol — owing much to Lewis Milestone's Korean War epic Pork Chop Hill — is an efficient means of conveying the pointless sacrifice, and Irvin does the messy job superbly. Not for the lily-livered.
"...[Not since APOCALYPSE NOW] has there been spectacle to equal the scenes showing the dropping of phosphorous bombs in the jungle....Vance is particularly fine..."
Not in the same league as Platoon or Apocalypse Now. I found the acting quite wooden and the characters were not particularly realistic. Didn't capture the ... more