Fans are praising the 1987 Vietnam War film Hamburger Hill as a forgotten classic, with one calling it one of the "most underrated films about Vietnam."
The film is set during the May 1969 battle of the same name, an assault on Hill 937 in Dong Ap Bia by the US Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne. Hill 937 was at the centre of a brutal 10-day battle between American forces and allied Vietnamese troops against the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
Cast and crew behind the film
Directed by John Irvin, the film stars Michael Boatman, Dylan McDermott, Courtney B. Vance, Steven Weber, and Tim Quill, with an early on-screen appearance from future Hollywood star Don Cheadle. The score was composed by Philip Glass, known for his work on The Truman Show and Errol Morris documentaries The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War.
The film featured a number of lesser known actors, and fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes to heap praise upon it. One wrote: "A very incredible war film that is a bit underrated and has outstanding war elements to it."
Fan comparisons to Platoon and Full Metal Jacket
Another said Hamburger Hill belongs in the conversation among some of the most celebrated cinematic epics set during the conflict. They wrote: "Loved it, fantastic, cant believe I'd never seen it before," adding that it is "Better than Platoon", the 1986 Oliver Stone classic often hailed as one of the best films about the Vietnam War.
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 fourth said: "One of the most underrated films about Vietnam and one of the best."
Realism and availability
A fan on IMDb said it is "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.
The film is rated 18 and contains strong bloody violence and horror, according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), so it may not be for everyone. Hamburger Hill is available to stream for free on Plex or on Amazon Prime with a 50 Cent Action add-on. It is also available to buy or rent on other platforms, including YouTube and Sky Store.
