Hamburger Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Vietnam War battle see Battle of Hamburger Hill.
- A hill situated in Duncans Dam, see Dam Hambuger Hill
| Hamburger Hill | |
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| Directed by | John Irvin |
| Produced by | Jerry Offsay |
| Written by | James Carabatsos |
| Starring | Dylan McDermott Steven Weber Courtney B. Vance Don Cheadle Michael Boatman |
| Cinematography | Peter MacDonald |
| Editing by | Peter Tanner |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (theatrical only) |
| Release date(s) | 1987 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Hamburger Hill is a 1987 American movie starring Dylan McDermott, Steven Weber, Courtney B. Vance, Don Cheadle and Michael Boatman; directed by John Irvin and written by James Carabatsos.
Set in May 1969 during the Vietnam War, the movie is based on the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles", on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain near the Laotian border. American military records of the battle refer to the mountain as "Hill 937", its map designation derived from its being 937 meters high.
The film realistically depicts the realities of war, combat, courage, camaraderie and dedication to the mission among troops. It also brings up painful questions about war, such as the stigmatizing of replacement troops ("newbies" or, more crudely, "FNGs", for "Fuckin' New Guys") and of the seeming caprice of high command in the Vietnam War, specifically the lack of strategic value of the hill and subsequent unnecessary casualties. Other issues include the effect of anti-war sentiment on morale, and racial tensions among troops (especially the overcoming of racial tension by gradual friendship and earned respect).
The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, which had only theatrical rights to the film, whereas the video rights were owned by Vestron Video, and in later years by Live Entertainment, Artisan Entertainment, and Lions Gate Entertainment (which also recently acquired the UK video rights with distribution by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment).
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