The Big Picture

Hamburger Hill
captures the visceral horror of the Vietnam War through realistic battle scenes and nuanced perspectives on patriotism.
The film highlights the camaraderie and struggles of soldiers, with breakout performances from Dylan McDermott and Don Cheadle.
While not widely recognized,
Hamburger Hill
‘s deliberate lack of sentimentality and realism make it a powerful and important war film.

While war films have been a vital part of the cinematic ecosystem ever since the inception of the medium, there was a notable shift in the way that Hollywood tackled the Vietnam War compared to previous conflicts in American history. The shocking footage and revelations about the conflict that had overwhelmed the media landscape were inescapable, and thus films had to work harder to distinguish themselves. While it was a war with debated political ramifications, it resulted in some of the greatest war films of all-time, including Platoon and Apocalypse Now. Oddly, the 1987 war film Hamburger Hill has somehow not earned the same reputation, despite having an impressive 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The discrepancy is unfortunate, as Hamburger Hill is a powerful war film that captures the visceral horror of the Vietnam conflict.

Hamburger Hill A very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.Release Date August 28, 1987 Director John Irvin Runtime 1h 50m Main Genre War Writers James Carabatsos Production Company RKO Pictures

What Is ‘Hamburger Hill’ About?
Set during the last stage of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War in 1969, Hamburger Hill follows five new military recruits as they become acquainted with the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. The fresh-faced soldiers Beletsky (Tim Quill), Languilli (Anthony Barrile), Washburn (Don Cheadle), Bienstock (Tommy Swerdlow), and Galvan (M.A. Nickles) know that they’ve been assigned their duty because the infantry is in need of replacements. At that point, the war had already dragged on long enough that the platoon had experienced significant casualties. By focusing on a later stage of the conflict, Hamburger Hill shows the helplessness of the soldiers’ position by showing how ineffective the campaigns had become. The troops had also lost any enthusiasm for their mission, and had come to reject any overt feelings of patriotism.

While the perspective of the new recruits serve as appropriate “audience avatars” that indoctrinate the viewer into the daily lives of the soldiers, Hamburger Hill does an excellent job at showing the stress that comes with command. Mixed with the footage of the recruits adapting to the platoon’s rigorous schedule is a storyline featuring Sergeant First Class Worcester (Steven Weber) preparing the newest leader, Lieutenant Eden (Tegan West), for the responsibilities of leading the unit. The time spent showing the friendship that exists between the soldiers makes these moments even more powerful. Eden and Worcester understand that the decisions that they make will determine whether their brother-in-arms return home from the conflict safely.

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Hamburger Hill comes from director John Irvin, the filmmaker behind such gems as the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movieRaw Deal and the Chrsitopher Walken mercenary thriller Dogs of War. Irvin shows why he’s an underrated filmmaker through the attention-to-detail in framing the platoon’s mission. The film is also keen to note the perspective of the Viet Cong soldiers, showing how both sides have come to dehumanize each other in the thick of the jungle conflict. In addition to offering a more mature perspective than a more broadly nationalistic war film would have, Hamburger Hill has a sense of realism that makes it feel more gripping.

‘Hamburger Hill’ Featured Breakout Performances
Image via Paramount Pictures

While many of the most popular war films tend to focus on just one hero, Hamburger Hill does a great job at emphasizing each member of its cast. It’s a true ensemble movie that spends time detailing how each of these men have come to reflect upon their experience. Despite their varying motivations for participating in the conflict itself, the characters are bound by a mutual respect for one another. It’s due to this empathic quality that Hamburger Hill succeeds where other Vietnam War movies have failed. It’s evident that the political context of the war is lost on these soldiers, who are simply trying to help each other survive. Moments of humorous banter between the characters helps make their bonds feel more authentic.

Although the entire ensemble is worthy of praise, Hamburger Hill featured a breakout role from Dylan McDermott in his screen debut. McDermott stars as Staff Sergeant Adam Frantz, a veteran of the war who grows more cynical about his endeavors as the war wages on. Despite the tough persona that Frantz attempts to maintain in order to ease his platoon’s fears, it’s evident that any loss of life comes as a great burden to him. A particularly shocking moment where a bomb unexpectedly detonates and kills one of the soldiers under his command makes for one of the most emotional moments in the film. With McDermott becoming a mainstay on television, it’s rare to see him in such a critical film role.

Hamburger Hill also has a breakout performance from Don Cheadle, whose role as Washburn exemplifies the film’s nuanced perspective on patriotism. By incorporating conversations between Washburn and the African-American veterans Motown (Michael Patrick Boatman), Doc (Courtney B. Vance), and McDaniel (Don James), Hamburger Hill examines how unfair it is for these soldiers to fight for a nation that fails to give them any dignity or civil rights.

‘Hamburger Hill’s Gritty War Scenes Amplified Its Realism

The film’s title is a reference to the actual Battle of Hamburger Hill, a pivotal ground conflict that attracted significant backlash from the American media due to the significant military and civilian casualties. While it’s hard not to watch the battle scenes and consider the outsized effect that they had on the trajectory of the war, Hamburger Hill keeps the focus squarely on the soldiers and how they cope with their loss of innocence. The battle sequence itself takes up over half of the film’s running time and avoids emphasizing any exciting elements that would in any way diminish its political intentions.

While it’s unfortunately not remembered as one of the best films of the 1980s, Hamburger Hill is valuable because of its deliberate lack of sentimentality. Rather than attempting to summarize the totality of the Vietnam War, the film focuses on a select few characters whose experiences are singular. It’s unflinchingly brutal and almost devoid of hope, but Hamburger Hill is certainly deserving of the overwhelming critical praise that earned it the coveted 100% approval rating.

Hamburger Hill is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO