Hamburger Hill (1987) 6.6
A very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. Director:John IrvinWriter:James Carabatsos |
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Hamburger Hill (1987) 6.6
A very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. Director:John IrvinWriter:James Carabatsos |
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| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Anthony Barrile | ... | |
| Michael Boatman | ... |
Pvt. Ray Motown
(as Michael Patrick Boatman)
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| Don Cheadle | ... | ||
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Michael Dolan | ... | |
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Don James | ... | |
| Dylan McDermott | ... | ||
| Michael A. Nickles | ... |
Pvt. Paul Galvan
(as M.A. Nickles)
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Harry O'Reilly | ... | |
| Daniel O'Shea | ... | ||
| Tim Quill | ... | ||
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Tommy Swerdlow | ... | |
| Courtney B. Vance | ... | ||
| Steven Weber | ... | ||
| Tegan West | ... | ||
| Kieu Chinh | ... | ||
A brutal and realistic war film focuses on the lives of a squad of 14 U.S. Army soldiers of B Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infanty Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the brutal 10 day (May 11-20, 1969) battle for Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam as they try again and again to take the fortified hill held by the North Vietnamese, and the faults and casualties they take every time in which the battle was later dubbed "Hamburger Hill" because enemy fire was so fierce that the fusillade of bullets turned assaulting troops into shreded hamburger meat. Written by Matthew Patay <1792a@aol.com>
Extremely brutal and fierce true story about one particular group in the 101 Airborne Division, who spend ten days and eleven battles trying to claim a muddy and well-occupied hill that's dubbed "Hamburger Hill".
The cast in this film were mostly unknown like Dylan McDermott (who made his film debut here) and Steven Weber who both play the platoon's two weary and determined sergeants, Don Cheadle is one of the five new recruits, Michael Boatman and Courtney Vance are also in the cast. It's certainly well-acted by McDermott and Vance..
John Irvin ("The Dogs of War") directed the film and here, he lets the emotions of the soldiers go very far but not too far and the same can be mentioned for the battle scenes. Also, Irvin take a page of Robert Aldrich's WW2 classic and unforgettable melodrama "The Dirty Dozen". Instead of making instant up close shots as Aldrich did, Irvin slowly moves the camera in and it captures the unpredictable feeling that any of the G.I.s have. I wasn't moved, yet I was amazed as well.
Jim Carabatos ("Heartbreak Ridge") wrote the movie's story and like Irvin, Carabatos is careful in making the tale absolutely clear and very understanding to the viewer. The point that Irvin and Carabatos are trying to make is fascinating and simple: No one here is trying to be the hero nor the villain because surviving the war is a more important factor than trying to be gutsy and wind up being killed.
"Hamburger Hill" isn't the type of war movie like Oliver Stone's "Platoon" or Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" were, but it tends to be like Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" was a few years ago. It's a fierce and very thoughtful film