Americas 250th Birthday Cinemathon #57: Hamburger Hill (1987)

 Hamburger Hill, directed by John Irvin, is very much a movie made for the vets. Its producers were Marcia Nasatir, whose son had fought in Vietnam, and James Carabatsos, who had actually served there. It began as a passion project for RKO Pictures, though Paramount would eventually scoop it up. This led to a major blunder that ensured Hamburger Hill, already a relatively small production, would fail to make a profit at the box office. Paramount suddenly got antsy that a movie about Vietnam would not sell well and put the finished film on the shelf until they would see how Platoon performed. When Platoon was a smash hit in 1986, they decided to release Hamburger Hill the following year. Unfortunately this put it in close proximity with Full Metal Jacket, set to literally come out the same summer. That movie’s director, Stanley Kubrick, was worried that people would see the other Vietnam film and not come to his, so he used his clout to make sure that his work came out about two months ahead of the other. Instead of being the first of a crop of good Vietnam War films, Hamburger Hill got lost in the shuffle.

Since then it’s been rediscovered and has achieved cult status. This movie is named after the real life Battle of Hamburger Hill. The hill in question was officially Hill 937, but the repeated bloody assaults, which all failed until the last one, gave it its name as men were turned into, you guessed it, hamburger. What really made this battle a sore point was that the upper brass decided to abandon the hill after all the lives lost and mangled to get it. However, the movie doesn’t get into all the strategy, but focuses on fictionalized versions of real members of the 3^rd Battalion, 187^th Infantry, 101^st Airborne Division.

Unlike the other two Vietnam movies I reviewed, Hamburger Hill did not get any major stars, understandable as it started off as an independent project. Of the sizeable cast, only Don Cheadle would go on to become a major Hollywood star, though several other actors would become big names in television. The closest thing to a main character is Frantz (Dylan McDermott), the squad leader who keeps a steady head and doesn’t get into the inter-unit bickering. The lack of star power is by no means a negative, and there's loads of great scenes between the fighting where men just talk or reflect about things.

Though one of the more recognizable actors in hindsight, Don Cheadle
(left) has a relatively minor role as a new recruit named Johnny Washburn.

Also unlike Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, this film tries to present a more grounded and realistic take on the war. There are no psychotic characters, artsy use of classical or period music, long monologues on the nature of violence and war, war crimes, or dark comedy bordering on surrealism. Instead it’s an attempt to actually show it how it is. The result is that Hamburger Hill is considered by vets one of the most accurate Vietnam War films. For example, producer Carabatsos, who also wrote the screenplay, actually copied soldiers’ slang and remembered conversations for dialogue.

There’s one great scene where Frantz sees a news crew and goes off on them about how they’re just there to get a neat story about the soldiers’ failure and misrepresent what the men are going through, perhaps a suggestion that the press made the soldiers look like failures or villains to the American people. One of the soldiers also recounts a trip he got to have home, where anti-war college students treated him like crap. Many Vietnam vets experienced this behavior when coming home, and they weren’t happy about it considering that said students got to stay safe in America while they risked their lives.

Franz (Josh McDermott, right) tries to relax a stressed out Doc (Courtney B. Vance)

While the melodrama is kept down, this doesn’t mean there’s a lack of conflict. In fact, there’s quite a lot, with the stress of the long battle causing soldiers to snap at each other. A major theme is that the experience of combat bonds disparate men together. This is most apparent in the racial division between the white and black members of the squad. They aren’t thinking about killing each other as the factions in Platoon do, but they hang out in cliques. Doc (a very stressed out medic played by future Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance), often goes on about how black people are being mistreated and used as cannon fodder for the war. Eventually a white soldier, Private Beletsky (Tim Quill) calls him out on his complaints, pointing out that they’re all in the same mess and are all taking the same dangers. After this their bonding is finally fully cemented.

As for the battle scenes, they’re solid enough, with some nasty gory shots. Veterans say the terrain and the various tactics the soldiers used to try to take the hill are all accurate. Also accurate are all the horrific obstacles, from muddy, uneven uphill terrain to accidental fire from American aircraft. Also, the various wounding and death scenes have an impact, especially after hearing the characters talk about what they’ll do when they get home. On a final note of interest, Carabatsos sent his script to the Department of Defense for approval (getting approval meant the military would lend gear and other support). The DOD asked him to cut down on the sexual content. Watching this movie, you wouldn’t know it, because it’s still horny as hell, especially early on when the men haven’t fully gotten into the battle yet. Otherwise the DOD was ok with the film’s message that the top brass will often send men into pointless slaughterhouses.

(https://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2017/10/13/hamburger-hill-1987-john-irvin/)

Hamburger Hill is an oft overlooked war film that’s worth checking out. It’s got likeable characters and gives a much more natural look at the conflict, and it’s arguably more respectful in showing that the majority of soldiers, despite their traumatic experiences and the lingering effects, did not come home as mental basket cases.

Rating: 8/10

I also want to touch on some observations about Vietnam War films in general. I’ve noticed these recurring elements.

      1. The movies almost always focus on a small unit such as a squad or platoon. There’s rarely a big picture film.

2.   2. In relation to number 1, because of the ground-level perspectives we almost never see any historical generals or colonels. In fact, I can’t name a Vietnam commander off the top of my head.

3.   3. The North Vietnamese soldiers tend to be part of the hostile environment or bodies to kill. We don’t really get their perspective. An exception is We Were Soldiers, which does show the NVA officers commanding the enemy. Otherwise, actual characters tend to be Viet Cong ladies and even then usually in small roles.

4.   4. There’s often narration reflecting on the nature of war, tying into the fact that Vietnam was the most popular conflict for exploring said subject.