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Summary: A surprisingly overlooked film...
Review: The first time I saw this film was in the post theater at Fort Drum, New York back in 1987. I was a brand new platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division and a couple of our senior commanders had been platoon leaders with the 101st during the actual battles this movie depicts. Since we were light infantry, it was almost a requirement to go see this. The thing that struck me at the time was that the film was not about flag-waving patriotism, nor an overt statement against war. Instead, it spoke volumes about the complex motivations soldiers rally behind in order to do things that violate the instinct for self-preservation. To me this film focused more on the concepts of trust (in small unit leaders/battle buddies) and teamwork than on anything else. That the battles actually happened and 30-man platoons came off with the hills with only a leader and couple of soldiers left still makes me shake my head in wonder. The film captures that time during the Vietnam War when new arrivals still believed in a "winnable war" and the veterans were just beginning to experience nagging doubts about the war's aims. For the most part, the movie largely avoids the stereotypical image of the dope-smoking, bead-wearing GI of other Vietnam movies. While this film was largely overshadowed at the time by the more theatrical "Platoon", it's still a good effort and you'll be suprised at the number of familar cast faces from such shows as "Wings" and "The Practice". The acting is good and the battle scenes are realistic. A decent grab for your DVD collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic!!!! This movie showed how it was.
Review: This movie is great. It showed how men survied and got wounded. If you have teennager that says war is coool! Show him this movie. This movie showed how it was realy like in 1964. Great Movie!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Realistic!!! This movie showed Veitnam as it was!!!!
Review: This movie is great! It realy showed me how it was in 1969. This movie is not boring !!!! The detail of the movie was great!!!`
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Summary: A great depiction of soldier life
Review: I like this movie because it most correctly depicts what it is like to be a member in a squad of soldiers. There are no moral messages, like in "Platoon". There are no messages about society like in "Full Metal Jacket". There is no glory for the soldier in the movie, there are no parades. It is a movie about a group of men bound together by Army Green, sent to a brutal world...to live if possible, or die. "Hamburger Hill" is about the bond between soldiers. It is about the madness, the despair and the confusion of battle. It is about the American fighting soldier at his best, his worst, his high and low. It is a glimpse in the life of me, of you, of our dads, our brothers, our uncles, our sons...in a hellish place on earth named WAR.
Rating: 
Summary: Pales in comparison to Platoon, very poor audio and f/x.
Review: I bought this movie expecting much more than I got out of it. The audio was so poor I had to alter the volume constantly throughout the movie. The special f/x(or lack thereof) were horrible, the explosions looked like firecrackers. The acting was nothing to speak of either, with poor dialog and emotions throughout. I give the movie 2 stars(instead of one) only because it seemed to be a faithful rendition of the Vietnam experience.
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Summary: My favorite movie!!!
Review: I believe that this is one of the best war movies of all time. The battles are the most realistic next to "Saving Private Ryan."
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Summary: Real life Vietnam.
Review: My brother, an Army MSgt, was in Vietnam twice and he recommended this movie. He said this was the true nature of Vietnam. I found it a riveting movie. The acting was stupendous as I believed these soldiers were real. Recommend as a history lesson for the younger generation.
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Summary: great bloody mess, just like the war
Review: This movie frightened me silly. Truly bloodygory graphic, and hauntingly accurate tale of wastedmen in a wasted war.
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Summary: Realism - but not truth
Review: This is a very realistic movie about the combat experience at Hamburger Hill. It will probably become to Vietnam what "Battleground" has become to the Battle of the Bulge -- a classic, a very realistic portrayal of the experience, conveyed via fictitious characters.But the biggest difference in the selling of "Hamburger Hill" from "Battleground" is that the promotional text for "Hamburger Hill" tells us "The most realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War ever filmed. Because it is the only one that's true." And yet when the small print rolls at the end of the movie, we see that these characters in the squad are entirely fictitious and not to be confused with anyone who actually ever lived -- and died. This is not a minor point. We need to know what is fact and what is fiction. If we allow Hollywood "truth" to inform our decisions at the expense of real truth, then real truth is going to grab us by our tender parts someday, and we are going to be shocked to realize that we were off in some in-our-head fantasy that kept us from knowing the truth. There were real men, with real names and probably not so Hollywood-viable lives in that squad. Perhaps someone someday will tell us their real story. So, I do recommend this movie -- highly so. What is told here needs telling -- and thinking about. But please do not tell us it is the truth: keep the line between fact and fiction clear, or we will all suffer for it eventually.
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Summary: RVN VET: Best Vietnam War Movie ever made
Review: From a reality standpoint, this film hits the mark. It is not at all atypical like "Apocalypse Now" (USO Show at night in unsecure area? Give me a break!) or "Platoon" (obsessed with potheads and war lovers). I speak as a veteran of the Vietnam War (May '67 to May '68). The guy who calls this film booring was either in another room or expecting a cartoon. At any rate, he misses the boat or has no experience. The main idea that drove these young soldiers was how to stay alive. The sounds of mortar and artillery explosions used in this picture were the most realistic I have ever heard in any war film. It instantly took me back to 1968 and the nightly mortar attacks we lived through in the central highlands of Vietnam. The characters were entirely believable and diverse. There was conflict between characters as well as conflict on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the film's dipiction of "friendly fire" though tragic was a fact of life at times. And to the guy who says there was no plot: What does he call the all out effort to take that miserable hill day after stinking day? For a typical and realistic rendition of what the war in Vietnam was like, I offer "Hamburger Hill" as the answer.
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