‘Forgotten’ Vietnam war film that’s ‘more realistic’ than Platoon and Full Metal Jacket | Films | Entertainment
An lesser known film about the Vietnam War has been hailed as “more realistic” than some of the most iconic movies about the conflict. Hamburger Hill (1987) is set during the battle of the same name, amid a May 1969 assault by the US Army’s 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne.
The action takes place around Hill 937, a ridge of the Dong Ap Bia mountain in central Vietnam, and was at the centre of a brutal 10-day battle between US forces and allied Vietnamese troops against the communist People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Directed by John Irvin, the film stars Michael Boatman, Dylan McDermott, Courtney B. Vance, Steven Weber, Tim Quill, and has an early on-screen appearance from future Hollywood superstar Don Cheadle.
Fans have flocked to review aggregator platforms to shower the war epic with praise, with one Audience Reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes saying the film belongs in the conversation among some of the most celebrated cinematic epics set during the brutal conflict.
“Loved it, fantastic, cant believe I’d never seen it before,” adding that it’s “better than Platoon”, the 1986 classic directed by Oliver Stone.
A third said they viewed the film as “forgotten almost as a forgotten Vietnam War film because, when people talk about great Vietnam War films, they mention Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, but they don’t mention this film”.
A fan writing on IMDb said its “often overlooked amongst the more well known Vietnam films to be released in the late eighties”, like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket “probably because it didn’t have well known a well known director or famous actors” like them.
“This is a shame as it is an excellent film and seemed the most realistic of the three films,” they added.
Another wrote: “Hamburger Hill’s god is resolutely in the details, and it in these details that most of the film’s best moments lie. The little scenes, lines and moments have the air of true anecdotes: often brief, insignificant moments in the larger picture yet they stick in the mind and add up to create a collage of impression.
“Hamburger Hill is probably the most realistic Vietnam film yet made, and the wealth of details give a sense that this film is the closest we’ve seen to actually being a soldier in Vietnam.”
The hard-hitting drama is rated 18 and features contains strong bloody violence and horror – so viewer discretion is advised.
Hamburger Hill is available to stream for free on PLEX, or on Amazon Prime with a Lionsgate+ add on. You can also buy or rent it on Apple TV, YouTube and Sky Store.
