Films that never got their due...

[ramairthree]

Around January to August 1987 three Vietnam movies came out.

One film had a huge name director and some well known actors.
Another film had a huge name director and made some well known actors.
They both had huge budgets, and are very well known.

One had a much smaller budget.
It is not spoken of as often.
Was it too much of a recreated documentary instead of a political statement?

But,
I recently watched Hamburger Hill for the first time in decades.

You can feel the suck of the steep terrain. You know the oh shit of a buddy just getting hit. You can sense the moment that last dry square inch at the top of your ass is finally soaked in The rain. Of not having dry socks in days.

It made no dramatic heroes, set up no huge outlandish scenarios,
Is this why it has had so little cultural impact?

[SteyrAUG]

Didn't fit the preferred narrative that VN vets were just drug using pawns or homicidal rapists / murderers.

[Firefly]

Hamburger Hill I think still struck a “too soon” vibe.

It didn’t condemn the Military Arms Complex, it didn’t have dudes using shotguns as bongs, and it didn’t have squad level Civil Wars.

It was the Black Hawk Down of the 80s and maybe more than a little too far ahead of its time.

84 Charlie Mopic was awesome

Siege at Firebase Gloria was terribly unsung. Yeah it was a B movie but it had heart. It had a message. It was deceptive. You see the VC honcho pontificating how even if they lose they still win.

The worst part of Hamburger Hill is when they are getting air support and their own guys get M60’d on accident and there was nothing they could do. It was hopeless but they still kept going.

As a youth that one part where that one Charlie gets his head took off with an M60 was brutal. It wasn’t a cartoon. And IIRC the guy who made the movie actually was in the 101st.

[Slater]

I remember "Platoon Leader" from that era.

[Firefly]

I remember "Platoon Leader" from that era.

I have the book. Really worth it to track down the book.

[ramairthree]

Hamburger Hill I think still struck a “too soon” vibe.

It didn’t condemn the Military Arms Complex, it didn’t have dudes using shotguns as bongs, and it didn’t have squad level Civil Wars.

It was the Black Hawk Down of the 80s and maybe more than a little too far ahead of its time.

84 Charlie Mopic was awesome

Siege at Firebase Gloria was terribly unsung. Yeah it was a B movie but it had heart. It had a message. It was deceptive. You see the VC honcho pontificating how even if they lose they still win.

The worst part of Hamburger Hill is when they are getting air support and their own guys get M60’d on accident and there was nothing they could do. It was hopeless but they still kept going.

As a youth that one part where that one Charlie gets his head took off with an M60 was brutal. It wasn’t a cartoon. And IIRC the guy who made the movie actually was in the 101st.

I was a 60 gunner in OG 107s with similar kit, a BC that was a PL in the 101st in VN, had had a a Lima Co LRRP with break 8n service as a RIP instructor, etc.

We bemoaned the post Grenada pre Panama era of Ranger Bn instead of firing up guys in the jungle with our 60s like that.

Edit-
Yes, there were a lot of smaller films even dealing with the era in the budget theatre, drive in, and VHS realm in the 80s and into the 90s.

But watching Hamburger Hill recently in terms of uniforms, etc. I was struck by how high the production values were. We see movies with ten times the budget and big stars that can’t even get uniform patches right.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

Hamburger Hill was one of my favorites. I haven't watched it in years but I think it warrants a modern viewing.

As Firefly said, The Siege of Firebase Gloria was a fantastic movie that never really got it's due in my opinion. I met Gunny years back at an event and he was an honest to goodness great guy.

[SteyrAUG]

Siege at Firebase Gloria was terribly unsung. Yeah it was a B movie but it had heart. It had a message. It was deceptive. You see the VC honcho pontificating how even if they lose they still win.

Almost mentioned that one. In many ways better than Full Metal Jacket.

Firebase Gloria is what I usually double feature with Boys of Company C.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I was a 60 gunner in OG 107s with similar kit, a BC that was a PL in the 101st in VN, had had a a Lima Co LRRP with break 8n service as a RIP instructor, etc.

We bemoaned the post Grenada pre Panama era of Ranger Bn instead of firing up guys in the jungle with our 60s like that.

Can you translate that for me?

[uffdaphil]

Two great Lee Marvin films:

The Big Red One-1980. Story of the director’s experiences in WW2 with Marvin playing the Sam Fuller character. Not a blockbuster, just the story of a squad trying to survive. Came and went without much notice.

Emperor of the North-1973. Marvin is king of the hoboes with a young punk trying to claim the title. Ernest Borgnine plays the sadistic railroad bull all out. The studios botched the release. First in just a few theaters, then wider when word of mouth created a buzz. But they changed the title which confused the public and wasted the earlier publicity.