Rent Hamburger Hill (1987)

The raw and bloody reality of the Vietnam War - Hamburger Hill review by Philip in Paradiso

Very few films show reality as it is - think of the average war movie that glorifies war and heroism. 'Hamburger Hill' shows the Vietnam War, when the US Army was engaged against North Vietnamese soldiers across Indochina, in a hyper-realistic and very graphic way. Inevitably, the film is raw, brutal, bloody and tragic. It is not a film for everybody, but it could be considered a necessary movie.

The film focuses on a squad of 14 US Army soldiers of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the battle for Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam: the battle lasted 10 days (from 11 to 20 May 1969). The North Vietnamese are dug in at the top of the steep hill; the American troops are ordered to take the fortified hill. Every time the US soldiers attempt to overcome the North Vietnamese resistance, they suffer a lot of casualties. It is said that the battle was called 'Hamburger Hill' because enemy fire was so intense and fierce that assaulting troops were being turned into shredded hamburger meat.

The film does not gloss over tensions among soldiers, also along racial lines. It does refer to the broader political backdrop, also in the USA. This makes it an interesting film, not just an action-packed war movie. There is a tragically human dimension to the fighting. The suffering and humanity of the Vietnamese is also featured in various ways in the film. Overall, this is a unique and unmissable film, in my view. Once you have seen it, you will never forget it, for better or for worse.

Do not make the mistake - Hamburger Hill review by TM

This must be one of the worst war films ever. It is very difficult to empathise with anyone in the movie. When finally one of the protagonists sheds some tears you think that he cries because of his mistake to play in this movie.