Because it was released less than a year after Oliver Stone's Platoon and within months of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, this well-made film about one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War was largely overshadowed and overlooked. Stripped clean of dramatically extraneous narrative, the movie opts instead for a straightforward approach to its day-by-day account of one of the war's costliest victories—a deadly siege on Hill 937 in the Ashau Valley, where soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division engaged the enemy over the course of 11 brutal assaults from May 10th through 20th in 1969. Specifically, Hamburger Hill (with a score by Philip Glass) follows the 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon—a mixture of "new guys" and battle-weary "short-timers" who fought against terrifying odds and suffered a 70% casualty rate. Featuring a cast of talented and well-known actors in the early stages of their careers, including Dylan McDermott (from TV's The Practice) and Don Cheadle (before gaining fame in Devil in a Blue Dress and Boogie Nights), Hamburger Hill—written by Jim Carabatsos and directed by John Irvin—pays tribute to the soldiers without promoting false patriotism or gung-ho theatrics. DVD extras include audio commentary (with Carabatsos, and costars Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly, and Daniel O'Shea), a pair of featurettes, and an interactive Vietnam War timeline. Recommended. (J. Shannon)
Hamburger Hill: 20th Anniversary Edition
Lionsgate, 110 min., R, DVD: $19.98 Volume 23, Issue 4
Hamburger Hill: 20th Anniversary Edition
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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