Hamburger Hill

( 5 )

Overview

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 A Shau Valley. During the next ten days, both sides incur heavy losses, but the Cong refuse to surrender the hill. The ultimate American "victory" turns out ...
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More About This Product

Overview

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 A Shau Valley. During the next ten 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 John Irvin deftly avoids the Hollywoodized slickness of such bigger-budgeted efforts as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter.
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Special Features

Closed Caption; Audio commentary with actors and writer/producer; Hamburger Hill: the appearance of reality; Medics in Vietnam; Interactive Vietnam War timeline
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Michael Costello
John Irvin's visceral, grunt's-eye view of one of the most notoriously savage battles of the Vietnam War is a solid, beautifully directed film somewhat undercut by a perfunctory script. The film focuses on a dozen or so members of a rifle platoon assigned to take Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley in May of 1969. In Oliver Stone's Vietnam War film Platoon 1986, the unit's dissension reflected the reality of a divided nation. Hamburger Hill, however, raises an equally painful issue from this unique conflict: most U.S. front-line troops were simple, uneducated, and often apolitical kids, trying to come to grips with fighting a war on which public opinion was split. This is most poignantly illustrated by a scene in which one of the grunts Tommy Swerdlow is deeply hurt by a letter from his girlfriend telling him she can no longer write to him because she has been told that the war is immoral. While the film doesn't hide its hawkish sympathies, it's essentially about the muddy, bloody horror of this gruesome action, in which 70 percent of the platoon was either killed or wounded. Irvin emphasizes the grunt sense of Sisyphean futility, as they battle their way up and down the side of the hill over the course of 11 brutal days, and his stunning combat photography can stand comparison with any on film. It is less successful in its non-combat sequences, which feature too-familiar scenes reflecting the tensions and friendships among the soldiers. Their mantra, "Don't mean nothin'," also suggests what's missing from the film in terms of an ordering pattern of metaphor. But at its best, in the thick of combat, this is a stirring tribute to the men who fought and died on Hill 937.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/20/2008
  • UPC: 028485232884
  • Original Release: 1987

    • Rating:

  • Source: Lions Gate
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Remastered / Anniversary Edition / Wide Screen / Subtitled
  • Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
  • Time: 1:50:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 24,326

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Anthony Barrile Langulli
Michael Boatman Motown
Don Cheadle Washburn
Michael Dolan Murphy
Don James McDanile
Dylan McDermott Sgt. Frantz
M.A. Nickles Galvin
Harry O'Reilly Duffy
Daniel O'Shea Gaigin
Tim Quill Beletsky
Tommy Swerdlow Bienstock
Courtney Vance Doc Johnson
Steven Weber Sgt. Worcester
Tegan West Lt. Eden
Kieu Chinh Mama San
Doug Goodman Lagunas
J.C. Palmore Healy
J.D. VanSickle Newsman
Technical Credits
John Irvin Director
Cecille Baun Makeup
Jim Carabatsos Producer, Screenwriter
Tot Castillo Art Director
Alfred Cleveland Songwriter
Mary Colquhoun Casting
Larry de Waay Co-producer, Producer
Bob Dylan Songwriter
Philip Glass Score Composer
David Hildyard Sound/Sound Designer
Soc Jose Asst. Director
David Korda Executive Producer, Producer
Calvin Lewis Songwriter
Peter MacDonald Cinematographer
Barry Mann Songwriter
Ken Metcalfe Casting
Marcia Nasatir Producer
Jerry Offsay Producer
Jerry Offsay Executive Producer
Carl Penzabene Songwriter
Helga Penzabene Songwriter
Rodger Penzabene Songwriter
Spencer Savis Songwriter
Neville Smallwood Makeup
Austen Spriggs Production Designer
Peter Tanner Editor
Mel Tillis Songwriter
Cynthia Well Songwriter
Steve Winwood Songwriter
Muff Winwood Songwriter
Norman Withfield Songwriter
Andrew Wright Songwriter
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Hamburger Hill
1. Opening Titles [5:16]
2. Sgt. Frantz [14:38]
3. The New Guys [9:32]
4. Incoming [7:36]
5. Casualty [13:12]
6. Going Back In [7:13]
7. Taking the Bunker [8:30]
8. Longing For Home [:57]
9. No More Letters [4:34]
10. Haven't Earned the Right [3:03]
11. Losing Doc [5:48]
12. Worcester [11:13]
13. "Don't Mean Nothing" [5:22]
14. Taking the Will [3:20]
15. Afterword [4:59]
16. Closing Credits [:54]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Hamburger Hill
   Play Movie
   Scene Selection
   Set Up
      Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
      Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jim Carabatsos and Actors Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly and Daniel O'Shea - On
      Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jim Carabatsos and Actors Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly and Daniel O'Shea - Off
      Subtitles: English
      Subtitles: Spanish
      Subtitles: None
   Special Features
      Hamburger Hill: the Appearance of Reality
      Medics in Vietnam
      Vietnam War Timeline
      Also Available From Lionsgate
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3
( 5 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

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Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    much better than Platoon

    Probably the best Vietnam war movie out there. This movie was not bogged down with all the anti American, lets go to Vietnam to smoke weed crap you seen in other movies. Instead, the movie shows you how the peace lovin tree huggin hippies effected the troops in the field. It shows how racial hatred was overcame. It focuses on the common foot soldier. No political slant. <BR/><BR/>The review on Wikipedia is a pretty accurate one:<BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger_Hill

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    U know Ship

    Can Not compare 4th. of july to this Movie. Maybe what it does wrong it presents the movie a as documentary. But if any of you guys care to read something about history "maybe u learn somethin in process" Then you will realize that this film is as true and authentic as the fallen trees on the side of the Hill. The 4th. is propaganda and only wanted to portrait the Vets as murders, drug heads etc.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Ripoff

    This was a ripoff of Platoon from the very beginning. Nothing in it is creative or informative. This did not show the peculiar despairing nature of Vietnam

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 25, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 9, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews