Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 21, 2016

John Irvin's "Hamburger Hill" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with writer/producer Jim Carabatsos, and actors Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly, and Daniel O'Shea; the featurettes "Hamburger Hill: The Appearance of Reality" and "Medics in Vietnam"; and a text-format summation of the Vietnam War. In English, with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Region-A "locked".

Brothers

Hamburger Hill is formally divided into two parts. The first introduces its main characters, mostly young men who have been sent to Vietnam to fight an enemy they know very little about. Most of them have already been in action, but a few have just arrived. At the base camp, everyone looks relaxed. Some of the men talk about the girlfriends and wives they left back home, some talk about their experiences with the local women. Occasionally, we see wounded men being brought in, but the war feels distant.

The men are from different social and ethnic backgrounds. Some are from big cities, others from small towns. Some are more sociable than others. Some feel that they are in Vietnam because it is their duty to protect their country’s interests. Others are not entirely sure what they are doing here; they speculate that they are in Vietnam because of the color of their skin. Occasionally, some of them argue and even call each other names.

The second part of Hamburger Hill shows the men fighting the enemy. They are sent to take over an enemy stronghold known as Hill 937. The hill is of little strategic importance, but the men are told otherwise. A fierce attack begins and many of them die. Once they conquer Hill 937, the men realize that some of their friends have lost their lives in vain.

John Irvin's Hamburger Hill was released a year after Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986) and a few months before Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). It did not look as polished and convincing as the above mentioned films but it certainly carried a similar vibe. At the time, its cast was comprised of mostly unknown young actors - Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott, Michael Boatman, Michael Dolan, Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly, etc.

I saw Hamburger Hill a couple of years after it was released theatrically in North America and thought that it was very much a film that did not attempt to deliver any sort of a controversial message about the Vietnam War. I felt that the main characters in it were simple young men who were faced with dilemmas most soldiers struggle with when they are sent to war. Aside from a few racial comments and a couple of generic observations about class division in America, I thought that there was nothing in Hamburger Hill that could have potentially ignited the masses.

I was, however, wrong. I found out that were, and still are, all sorts of different opinions about Hamburger Hill floating around. There were people claiming that it was a pro-war film, a piece of propaganda that glorified what many who supported the anti-Vietnam War rallies during the 60s disagreed with. And then there were those who believed that Hamburger Hill was a pro-soldier film, indirectly condemning the Vietnam War and those who sent thousands of young Americans to fight it.

To those of you who might have similar opinions about Hamburger Hill as the ones mentioned above, I would like to recommend that you listen to the audio commentary with writer/producer Jim Carabatsos, a Vietnam veteran, included on this release, who makes it perfectly clear that Hamburger Hill was meant to be nothing more than a tribute to his fallen comrades. Surely, it is a flawed tribute, as other than emphasizing what a horrific experience the war must have been for these men there is hardly anything of substance in Hamburger Hill, but it is also an honest one, and with these types of films honesty is of utmost importance.

Technically, Hamburger Hill is a fine film that even today looks impressive. The acting is good across the board; McDermott and Barrile, in particular, are terrific. Irvin's direction is solid and cinematographer Peter MacDonald's lensing very convincing. The film is also complimented by a wonderful music score courtesy of renowned American composer Philip Glass.

Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Irvin's Hamburger Hill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

I was hoping that when this fine film eventually transitions to Blu-ray in the United States it will be remastered and it will have a dramatically different appearance. Unfortunately, this release has been sourced from the same old master that Lionsgate used for the British release in 2009. This is quite disappointing because the master has a number of serious issues and the film does not look as it should in high-definition.

My guess is that the master was prepared some time during the DVD era because the film has that typical harsh appearance that a lot of older masters from the period exhibit. Depth is also unsatisfactory, and a lot of the darker footage can be quite problematic because the grain is frequently overwhelmed by light to moderate noise. Some of the primary colors remain stable, but it is never difficult to see that entire ranges of nuances are missing. Image stability is good, but occasionally white specks and tiny dirt spots can be seen. Ultimately, while it is good to finally have a local release of this film, the reality is that the technical presentation is very underwhelming. The OCN needs to be rescanned, a new master needs to be created, and then a new Blu-ray must be authored so that the film has the solid organic appearance that it deserves. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Optionalk English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I think that if the audio is fully remastered and a new lossless track created there will be quite a difference because depth really does not impress despite the fact that there is plenty of activity in this film. To be perfectly clear, at times the audio simply feels uncharacteristically anemic. On the other hand, there are no serious age-related anomalies to report.

Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - an audio commentary with writer/producer Jim Carabatsos, and actors Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly, and Daniel O'Shea. This is the same audio commentary that has previously appeared on different DVD releases of Hamburger Hill. It is very informative and at the same time quite entertaining. Jim Carabatsos, for example, recalls how the script for the film was written and what he was trying to accomplish in it, and discusses the true story that inspired the film. Anthony Barrile, Harry O'Reilly, and Daniel O'Shea also recalls how they became involved with the project, and discuss their characters, some of the technical obstacles the cast and crew members had to overcome, etc.

• Hamburger Hill: The Appearance of Reality - in this featurette, producer Marcia Nasatir, director John Irvin, and different cast members recall how the film came to exist. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Medics in Vietnam - in this featurette, Military Historian Col. Robert Tomlinson, USAF (Ret.), Arthur Wiknik, Jr, 101st Airborne Division, Bob Rogers, Vietnam Medic, as well as cast members quickly address the important role combat medics had during the Vietnam War. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Vietnam War Timeline - a text-format summation of the Vietnam War.

Hamburger Hill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was hoping that when Hamburger Hill eventually transitions to Blu-ray in America our local release will be sourced from a new master and the film will have a solid organic appearance. Most unfortunately, this release is sourced from the same old and problematic master that Lionsgate Films used overseas in 2009 for various international releases. This is disappointing. You could consider picking up a copy for your collection, but wait for a sale of some sort before you do so. There are much better releases that you should move to the very top of your wish list.