Hamburger Hill

The Vietnamese War is one of the most frequently discussed topics in American cinema and has many famous, even legendary titles to its credit. Hamburger Hill cannot even come close to them, as none of the directors who are considered a guarantee of quality entertainment by film fans sat in the director's chair, and there are no famous names among the actors either. The budget was not dazzling by genre standards, and there was no indication that more than a mediocre film with a cliché theme would emerge. The first third of the film really only shows what we have seen many times before. But as the soldiers penetrate deeper into the jungle and, above all, slowly climb up the increasingly steep slope and as the resistance of the determined enemy increases every hour, the main strengths of the film become more and more apparent. Realism and authenticity. Exhausted soldiers bombarded by tropical downpours and enemy fire, tons of mud, inaccessible terrain where heavy machinery is useless, blood, sweat, dirt, fear, and desperation. Determination clashes with determination, strength crushes strength. The ideological framework in which Hamburger Hill operates is interesting. At first glance, the film has an anti-war nature as it portrays the horrors of war and dying. At the same time, though not intrusively, it clearly plays on American patriotism. The army is a community where racial and class differences are blurred, the bond that creates a true nation. While here, people die for American ideals, at home, they happily demonstrate, party, and fornicate. For our taxes and our blood. Overall impression: 70%. (2013.01.11)