History Film / HamburgerHill

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film starring Creator/CourtneyBVance, Creator/DylanMcDermott, Creator/StevenWeber, Creator/MichaelBoatman, Michael Dolan, Creator/DonCheadle, and Anthony Barrile, about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles," on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border.

* AngryBlackMan: Played straight with the educated and well spoken "Doc" Johnson, who is constantly commenting on issues of race to his white squadmates, along with frequent emotional outbursts. Subverted thoroughly as he is fiercely protective of the men, repeatedly risks his life to reach anyone who falls regardless of their color, and is [[VitriolicBestBuds close friends]] with several white troops, especially SGT Frantz.

* BandOfBrothers: The paratroopers come from all kinds of different economic, racial, and religious backgrounds, but share the misery of combat in Vietnam and the ostracism that is waiting for them back home. Exemplified best in this exchange between SGT Frantz and [[spoiler: a badly-wounded [[AngryBlackMan Doc Johnson]]]], while waiting for the MEDEVAC helicopter:

--> '''Johnson:''' ''[approaches Beletsky as if to fight, but holds out his hand]'' [[NotSoDifferent Brother blood.]]

* NewMeat: The movie opens with the [=FNGs=] being brought in to the bolster the ranks.

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film starring Creator/CourtneyBVance, Creator/DylanMcDermott, Creator/StevenWeber, Michael Boatman, Michael Dolan, Creator/DonCheadle, and Anthony Barrile, about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles," on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border.

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film starring Creator/CourtneyBVance, Dylan [=McDermott=], Creator/StevenWeber, Michael Boatman, Michael Dolan, Creator/DonCheadle, and Anthony Barrile, about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles," on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border.

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles," on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain in the A Shau Valley near the Laotian border.

* CaliforniaDoubling: The Philippines standing in for Vietnam.

* ManlyTears
* After the friendly fire incident, Gaigin breaks down upon seeing Duffy's body.

As with most historical events, the The Other Wiki has an article on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hamburger_Hill:The Battle of Hamburger Hill]]

-->'''SPC Johnson:''' I'm not omitting you, Blood. We ''all'' no-good [[NWordPrivilegesniggers on this hill.]]

-->'''SGT Frantz:''' [[ManlyTears [Choking back tears]]] Come on, Doc, don’t be like that!
-->'''SPC Johnson:''' I wasn’t excluding you, Blood. We’re ''all'' a [[NWordPrivileges bunch of niggers here.]]

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

->'''SPC Johnson:''' I’m just what the world needs. Another nigger with a limp.
->'''SGT Frantz:''' [Choking back tears] Come on, Doc, don’t be like that!
->'''SPC Johnson:''' I wasn’t excluding you, Blood. We’re ''all'' a [[NWordPrivileges bunch of niggers here.]]

* ArmorIsUseless
--> '''Sgt. Worchester:''' We had a short-timer once, Johnny I-Forget-His-Name. Wore two helmets, two flak jackets and armored underwear. A Shau Valley... If your time's up, your time is UP.

The Other Wiki's article on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hamburger_Hill:The Battle of Hamburger Hill]]

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles," on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain near the Laotian border.

--> '''Sgt. Worchester:''' We had a short-timer once, Johnny I-Forget-His-Name. Wore two helmets, two flak jackets and armored underwear. At Shau Valley... If your time's up, your time is UP.

* AngryBlackMan: Played straight with the educated and well spoken Doc Johnson, who is constantly commenting on issues of race to his white squadmates, along with frequent emotional outbursts. Subverted thoroughly as he is fiercely protective of the men, repeatedly risks his life to reach anyone who falls regardless of their color, and is [[VitriolicBestBuds close friends]] with several white troops, especially SGT Frantz.
* AnyoneCanDie: it being a war movie based on real-life events, a large chunk of the cast (including several major characters) doesn't make it through the movie.

--> '''Sgt. Worchester:''' We had a short-timer once, Johnny I-Forget-His-Name. Wore two helmets, two flak jackets and armored underwear. A Shau Valley... If your time's up, your time is UP.

%%* BattleInTheRain

%%* BilingualBonus Vietnamese: "Dinky Dao"

* DeathFromAbove: Helicopter air support. Trope name doubles as motto for the 101st Airborne.

* HollywoodTactics: Foot soldiers assaulting a hill that holds little strategic worth, full of entrenched enemies. Tragic, but though [[TruthInTelevision it did in fact happen]].

%%* NewMeat: Follow experience of [=FNGs=].
%%* OnlyAFleshWound: Frantz's arm at the beginning.

* {{Retirony}} [[spoiler: PVT [=McDaniel=]]] is a short timer who hears a rumor that the squad is being sent back into the A Shau valley and asks his sergeant to find him a job back at the rear before they're sent in. Guess who is killed during the first assault on the hill.

%%* SoundtrackDissonance: Averted. The Animals' song "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" used to great effect. {{Truth in Television}}.

** '''Sgt. Frantz:''' "Some of you think you have problems because you're against the war. You demonstrated in school, you wear peace symbols on your steel, and you have attitudes. I'm orphan, my brother's queer, the city of Chicago got the clap from my sister, Mom drinks, Dad coughs blood, I have ringworm, immersion foot, the incurable crud and the draft ruined my chances of being a brain surgeon. People, you are in Vietnam. You have no problems. Except me. And him."

* ThousandYardStare: Several, in the aftermath of each of the eleven assaults up the hill. SGT Frantz gives one to Alphabet after the FNG's first battle, when the {{new meat}} looks for his sergeant's approval afterwards. "We got our cherries busted good today, didn't we?" Frantz's response, after giving the stare: "One of my people got killed. That's all that happened today." Also, [[spoiler: At the end of the brutal fight up the hill, the three survivors all look back down at the charred, deforested hilltop littered with bodies from both sides with utterly empty, haunted expressions.]]
%%* TrueCompanions
%%* UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar
%%* WarIsHell
%%* WasItReallyWorthIt: The sign at the end.
%%* WeHaveReserves

%%* YouHaveWaitedLongEnough: Breakup letter.

--> '''Sgt. Worchester:''' I remember a guy once, Johnny I-Forget-His-Name. Wore two helmets, two flak jackets and armored underwear. In the A Shau Valley, when your time is up, your time is UP.

* TheDreaded: A place as opposed to a person, spoken of with obvious dread and respect by the veteran members of the squad, with one expressing his outright fear of it. When one of the replacements asks "What's the A Shau?" he only gets a cold stare as a reply.

--> '''Beletsky:''' And they yanked that gold fuckin' spoon outta my mouth and sent me here so I could see how you low-class Eleven-Boos live, is that it?

* StrawCivilian: Inept, naive, or downright hostile.

** Despite popular belief, statistical breakdown of American casualties in Vietnam shows that black troops were actually ''less'' likely to be killed or wounded than whites or hispanics. Doesn't mean they didn't have legitimate grievances against racism, of course.

''Hamburger Hill'' is a 1987 American [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] film about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Division 'Screaming Eagles', on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia Mountain near the Laotian border.