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Hamburger Hill (1987)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
6/17
6/17:
Many Vietnam veterans swear by Hamburger Hill as the most realistic picture of what it's like to fight in the Vietnam War.
I avoided it for many years for being too low-level due to a no-name cast and a possible rip-off of
Platoon, a film
I had seen at least six times and thought of it as the gold standard. After seeing Hamburger Hill, I'm changing my tune.
I'm going to have to say it's the most realistic of any war picture.
What makes the film impressive is how consistent it is compared to what I've read about combat duty. This one is brutal
and holds nothing back including Braveheart-style injuries, fratricide, FNG mistakes, cowardice, chickenshit duties,
disease, mud, enemy radio pleas, resentment for the AOs, camaraderie, racial tensions, abandonment by loved ones back home,
and the yearning of getting back to the States, among other things.
It scores points in language, GI slang, equipment details, numerous helicopters across the sky, basic training
knowledge, field condition, sound and sight, youth of soldiers, etc. This is impressive compared to other
Vietnam pictures such as Platoon, The Deer Hunter,
Full Metal Jacket, The Green Berets, and Apocalypse Now.
Another positive attribute is how black soldiers are portrayed compared to their white counterparts and the way they've been
sacrificed like lambs due to the color of their skin. Many veterans praised Courtney B. Vance for his accurate medic skill.
This point is critical because medics were considered the most valuable unit on the battlefield during the Vietnam War.
What's ironic about Hamburger Hill is it showed how the men fought in the battle and what they went through yet felt
so anti-war because of the futility of it all. As a matter of fact, the Battle of Hamburger Hill was fought from
May 10 to 20, 1969. It was actually called "Hill 937" because that's how high it was in meters. It was later renamed
"Hamburger Hill" due to the soldiers being chewed up as if they went through a grinder while trying to capture it which
resulted in a 70 percent casualty rate. There was little strategic value in the hill, and it was therefore abandoned on
June 5, triggering an intense wave of criticism which caused the White House to begin the end of major ground combat operations.
All in all, if you have to pick one movie when it comes to what it's like to fight in a war, go with Hamburger Hill.