'Forgotten' Vietnam war film that's 'more realistic' than Platoon and Full Metal Jacket

An "underrated" film about the Vietnam War has been hailed as a forgotten classic. Hamburger Hill (1987) is set during the battle of the same name, amid a May 1969 assault by the US Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 101st Airborne.

Hill 937, a ridge of the Dong Ap Bia mountain in central Vietnam, and was at the centre of a brutal 10 day battle between American forces and allied Vietnamese troops against the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The score was by iconic musician and film composer Philip Glass, known for his work on the likes of The Truman Show and Errol Morris documentaries The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War.

Directed by John Irvin, the film Michael Boatman, Dylan McDermott, Courtney B. Vance, Steven Weber, Tim Quill, and an early on-screen appearance from future Hollywood superstar Don Cheadle.

One Audience Reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes said: "A very incredible war film that is a bit underrated and has outstanding war elements to it."

Another said the film belongs in the conversation among some of the most celebrated cinematic epics set during the brutal conflict.

"Loved it, fantastic, cant believe I'd never seen it before," adding that it is, "Better than Platoon", the 1986 classic directed by Oliver Stone.

A third said they viewed the film as "forgotten almost as a forgotten Vietnam War film because, when people talk about great Vietnam War films, they mention Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, but they don't mention this film".

A fourth said: "One of the most underrated films about Vietnam and one of the best."

A fan on IMDb said its "often overlooked amongst the more well known Vietnam films to be released in the late eighties", like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket "probably because it didn't have well known a well known director or famous actors" like them.

"This is a shame as it is an excellent film and seemed the most realistic of the three films," they added.

The film is rated 18 and features contains strong bloody violence and horror according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), so it may not be for everyone.

Hamburger Hill is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.