Hamburger Hill (1987)

A very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.

Director:

John Irvin

Writer:

James Carabatsos

Stars:

Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, Don Cheadle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Barrile	...	Pvt. Vincent 'Alphabet' Languilli
Michael Boatman	...	Pvt. Ray Motown (as Michael Patrick Boatman)
Don Cheadle	...	Pvt. Johnny Washburn
Michael Dolan	...	Pvt. Harry Murphy
Don James	...	Pvt. Elliott 'Mac' McDaniel
Dylan McDermott	...	Sgt. Adam Frantz
Michael A. Nickles	...	Pvt. Paul Galvan (as M.A. Nickles)
Harry O'Reilly	...	Pvt. Michael Duffy
Daniel O'Shea	...	Pvt. Frank Gaigin
Tim Quill	...	Pvt. Joe Beletsky
Tommy Swerdlow	...	Pvt. Martin Bienstock
Courtney B. Vance	...	Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson
Steven Weber	...	Sfc. Dennis Worcester
Tegan West	...	Lt. Terry Eden
Kieu Chinh	...	Mama San

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

hill | vietnam | vietnam war | sergeant | gore | 

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Taglines:

While the rest of the world wondered why, the Screamin' Eagles fought and died in the fiercest battle of America's bloodiest war.

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Genres:

Drama | War | Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

French English

Release Date:

28 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

937: Posición de combate

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Box Office

Gross:

$13,839,404 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both this film and Platoon were shot in the Philippines. Many of the actors hadn't been out of the United States before.

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Goofs

None of the F-4 jet aircraft that 'bombed' the Hill numerous times had any bombs on them. Any ordnance on an F-4 is visible, those pictured had none, not even wing (fuel) tanks.

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Quotes

Sgt. Frantz: Han is closing in on your position. It's night... Look at me! I'm gonna save your life and your gonna save mine. It's night, it's raining. While your thinking about peace, love and whether or not we should be in Vietnam, Han is going to cut your fucking throat. And your sleeping. You've been humping the boonies for months. It's your turn to sleep, you're allowed to sleep. What do you think Han is going to do? Is he going to wake you up, Alphabet? And smile? And talk about women? Mister ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The following poem is shown at the beginning of the credits: If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind. Major Michael Davis O'Donnell 1 January 1970 Dak To, Vietnam

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Connections

Referenced in A Touch of Frost: Unknown Soldiers (1996)

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Soundtracks

"I Wish It Would Rain"
Written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield
Performed by The Temptations

User Reviews

One of the best about Vietnam

Drawing from a good book by the same name concerning a real battle, the film chose to concentrate on a single unit of the 101st Airborne during this engagement instead of the strategies and tactics of the battle. Fictionalizing the characters we see the typical group of soldiers, some new, some veterans, some black, some white, some Hispanic, conduct assault after assault on a hill for some reason that they only have a vague concept of. But instead of making the battle slick and interlaced with subplots about the possession of souls (such as "Platoon") or a work of art (such as "Apocalypse Now" or "Full Metal Jacket") the characters are real and the battle is believable.

Whether intentional or not, it is hard to identify individuals in this film. The viewer is aware that there are ethnic and class separations but identities are harder. I believe that this was intentional to some extent by the director so that the impression could be made that this could be any unit and the soldiers could be anyone that you may know. Like the faceless names on the Vietnam War monument during the opening of the film, these soldiers are essentially faceless forcing the viewer to place a face and personality that they are intimate with. The real star of the movie is the battle and the tragedies that resulted. As with the better, and more accurate war films, there are no heroics, just fear; there is no glorious flag waving over a captured fortification, just survivors.

Again, with the better war films it is the little stuff that separates the good ones from the "cowboys and Indians in battle dress" ilk: the radio operator calling in an artillery strike in panic and is reprimanded for not using proper radio protocol, the mud slide down the hill right in the middle of the battle, the officer trying to call for reinforcements and realizing that his radio was blown to bits along with his arm. All of these "touches" are real and give credibility to a film. In this case "Hamburger Hill" stands apart, and somewhat higher, than most films about the subject.