Genre:
War
Theatrical Release: 08/28/1987(USA)
Release Date: 01/01/2001
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time:
Flags: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity, War Violence
Distributor/Studio: Live/Artisan
Though the anti-war sentiments of
Hamburger Hill come through loud and clear, the film is squarely on the side of those courageous, much-maligned Americans who fought and died in Vietnam. Based on a true incident, the story takes place in 1969, as the 101st Airborne Division confronts the Vietcong in a bloody battle over Hill 937 (aka "Hamburger Hill") in the Ashua Valley. During the next 10 days, both sides incur heavy losses, but the Cong refuse to surrender the hill. The ultimate American "victory" turns out to be a hollow one indeed. Scripted by Vietnam war vet Jim Carabatsos,
Hamburger Hill not only underlines the futility of the war but also the pressures brought to bear upon the troops by an insensitive, often hostile media. By utilizing a cast of unknowns, director
Jim Irvin deftly avoids the Hollywoodized slickness of such bigger-budgeted efforts as
Apocalypse Now and
The Deer Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
;)
