Hamburger Hill (1987)
Genre: War / Drama
Duration: 110 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: John Irvin
Stars: Dylan McDermott, Steven Weber and Courtney B. Vance
IMDb score:
6,7 (29.831)
Releasedate: 7 August 1987
Hamburger Hill plot
"War at its worst. Men at their best."
On May 11, 1969, soldiers of the 187th Airborne Division are ordered to capture Hill 937, located in the Ashau Valley. Their task is complicated by heavy rains and costs many human lives. On May 15, they are assisted by air troops and a bunker is taken. The wounded are taken away and the mail is checked. The next day the battle continues. A terrible battle takes place. After a very bloody battle of ten days, they succeed in their mission. But shortly afterwards comes the order to immediately clear the mound...
Actors and actresses
Pvt. Joe Beletsky
Motown
Sgt. Adam Frantz
Pvt. Washburn
Sfc. Dennis Worcester
Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson
Pvt. Martin Bienstock
Lt. Terry Eden
Pvt. Elliott 'Mac' McDaniel
Galvan
Reviews & comments
knusse stoel
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- 3292 messages
- 4356 votes
In the series of war movies I've seen in recent weeks, this was one of the middle class.
Slightly better even than the average. There was beautiful music in this film from the same period. Things get tough while taking the Hamburger Hill. It struck me in this film that the lives of the still young men were not so important in the eyes of their political leaders and military commanders.
They are sent to death in tens just to take this hill.
As you can also see in the movie it is raining quite a bit and after almost 2 weeks of fighting they capture the hill and shortly after they clear the area again. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention, but the reason escaped me.
For fans of war film about Vietnam, this is actually a must, good music, excellent (mostly unknown) actors and a good story with sufficient action.
A 7.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10012 messages
- 4678 votes
Not the best Vietnam movie. I read the word re-enactment somewhere here, and I agree. So I found it quite distant. The characters don't really stick, the dialogues are cliché, the situations don't drag. While Platoon and Full Metal Jacket hit emotionally hard, they don't succeed here. The photography and war scenes are still decently shot, but that wasn't enough for me. I should have watched a documentary on the subject.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Mme.
Hamburger Hill feels more like an action movie of sorts. It doesn't have much more depth than the average Stallone movie. It does, however, have more structure, and a Vietnam background. That certainly gives the film room in the first half to build up some nice set pieces and then start with the story itself.
What is striking about the film is that there is indeed good acting. What I had a little more trouble with was that some characters seem to completely change character. You'd think commanding soldiers would hold their heads a little harder, but very early on in the film, everyone seems to be changing in attitude and emotion. Maybe that's how it happened, but it didn't seem that way to me.
There is also a good atmosphere and some interesting dialogues. You just never get to know the characters very well. Maybe after the film you can name what they like to do, but once the second, bombastic half starts, they all pretty much disappear in the mud.
The war has some interesting aspects. I don't know if it is accurate. It all felt a bit too clumsy, with gunshot wounds that don't seem to look exactly realistic. It sounds like a strange criticism, but it did give me the feeling that the film was intended as an action film rather than an anti-war film.
After the viewer gradually begins to realize that the second half has been drawn out for a long time without much news happening, it quickly stops. I respect the situation it's based on, but this movie doesn't make me feel like I've gotten to know this better. That does not alter the fact that the acting is strong, the set pieces are good and some beautiful pictures are shot on a cinematographic level.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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