The meat grinder effect. Unfairly forgotten and left in the slipstream of critical darlings Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill can proudly fly its own worthwhile flag. There's nothing preachy or political here, director John Irvin and writer James Carabatsos approach the subject with a refreshing humane honesty, making us viewers privy to the American soldiers mindset as they cope with life in Vietnam before an assault on some turd pile strategic hill, a battle that the survivors of that particular bloody conflict would call Hamburger Hill. No matter what one feels about the war, the politics of such etc, the fact that quite often Vietnam films zoom in on the misdemeanours and egotistical sides of the American presence in Vietnam, tends to detract from the bravery of men and boys who were doing the job their government decreed they should do. Hamburger Hill addresses this, proudly so. Pace is deliberate and literate, building up to the assault on Hill 937, with little slices of kinetic action inserted along the way to tantalise and torment in equal measure. Not all the acting is smart, there's a cast of up and coming thesps on show that features some who have gone on to be "name" actors, while others that were out of their depth subsequently found a level more befitting their abilities. Yet this is also a cunning tactic in the film's favour, no stars needed here, young adult actors without baggage or headlines kind of feels appropriate for this portrayal of soldiers in an alien world, many of whom would lay their shattered bodies down in the mud at Hamburger Hill. 8/10
Courtney B. Vance was kind of all over the place in this wasn't he? One moment he's an over-the-top make everything political racist, and the next moment he actually cares about everyone... and then it's back to nothing but race... and then he cares about people. He really needed to pick a direction and roll with it, because he came across as going too places at once. But otherwise this is the forgotten cousin of Platoon. It's not exactly as good as Platoon, but it is more solid start-to-finish than Full Metal Jacket was. The strength really comes from an attempt to depict the events without really making anything heroic, or action-hero dramatic. And, instead, they do their best to make it just a straight war movie. No great odyssey, no moral point, no real views on Vietnam as opposed to other wars. Just a straight war movie and nothing. It's not unlike Saving Private Ryan, in which the film is able to make both a pro-soldier statement while also being anti-war. It's a fine line to walk, but they do it with the skill needed to both show absolute brutality, and the humanity of soldiers that are put in that horrible situation.
Sergeant Todd is a veteran soldier for an elite group of the armed forces. After being defeated by a new breed of genetically engineered soldiers, he is dumped on a waste planet and left for dead. He soon interacts with a group of crash survivors who lead out a peaceful existence. The peace is broken as the new soldiers land on the planet to eliminate the colony, which Sergeant Todd must defend.
Movie Star Rating : 6.4 Read More
The perversion behind imperial Rome, the epic story of Rome's mad Emporer. All the details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed right here: His unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, his fiendishly inventive means of disposing those who would oppose him, and more.
Movie Star Rating : 6 Read More
Rookie cop, Amelia Donaghy reluctantly teams with Lincoln Rhyme – formerly the department's top homicide detective but now paralyzed as a result of a spinal injury – to catch a grisly serial killer dubbed 'The Bone Collector'. The murderer's special signature is to leave tantalizing clues based on the grim remains of his crimes.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
While visiting her sister in Paris, a young woman finds romance and learns her brother-in-law is a philanderer.
Movie Star Rating : 4.9 Read More
Burglary. Drugs. Assault. Rape. The students at Brandel High are more than new Principal Rick Latimer bargained for. Gangs fight to control the school using knives - even guns - when they have to. When Latimer and the head of security try to clean up the school and stop the narcotics trade, they run up against a teenage mafia. A violent confrontation on the campus leads to a deadly showdown with the drug dealer's gang, and one last chance for Latimer to save his career... and his life.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
Five American soldiers fighting in Europe during World War II struggle to return to Allied territory after being separated from U.S. forces during the historic Malmedy Massacre.
Movie Star Rating : 6.3 Read More
The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.
Movie Star Rating : 7 Read More
The Double Deuce is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable - busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot-spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6 Read More
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
Movie Star Rating : 7.2 Read More
Psycho Goreman 2023 - Movies (Mar 18th)
Night Cops 2023 - Movies (Mar 18th)
Unexpected 2023 - Movies (Mar 18th)
Stormy 2024 - Movies (Mar 18th)
The Beekeeper 2024 - Movies (Mar 16th)
Madame Web 2024 - Movies (Mar 15th)
Stopmotion 2023 - Movies (Mar 15th)
Cool Cat vs Dirty Dog The Virus Wars 2023 - Movies (Mar 15th)
The Hobby 2024 - Movies (Mar 15th)
Irish Wish 2024 - Movies (Mar 15th)
Aftermath 2024 - Movies (Mar 14th)
The Bloody Hundredth 2024 - Movies (Mar 15th)
A Whole Life 2023 - Movies (Mar 14th)
Art of Love 2024 - Movies (Mar 14th)
ROMI 2023 - Movies (Mar 14th)
Frida 2024 - Movies (Mar 14th)
They Shot the Piano Player 2023 - Movies (Mar 13th)
The Lionheart 2023 - Movies (Mar 13th)
Ferrari 2023 - Movies (Mar 13th)
Little Wing 2024 - Movies (Mar 13th)
I.S.S. 2023 - Movies (Mar 12th)
Spring Baking Championship - (Mar 19th)
Rock the Block - (Mar 19th)
The Price Is Right - (Mar 19th)
Lets Make a Deal - (Mar 19th)
Bob Hearts Abishola - (Mar 19th)
Panorama - (Mar 19th)
The Talk - (Mar 19th)
Emergency Room 24 Hours - (Mar 19th)
Traffic Cops - (Mar 19th)
George Clarkes Remarkable Renovations - (Mar 19th)
Great British Menu - (Mar 19th)
GRAND SUMO Highlights - (Mar 19th)
Sight Unseen - (Mar 18th)
Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold - (Mar 18th)
The Young and the Restless - (Mar 18th)
The Bold and the Beautiful - (Mar 18th)
MSNBC Reports Andrea Mitchell Reports - (Mar 18th)
Great British Railway Journeys - (Mar 18th)
Bargain Hunt - (Mar 18th)
Haileys On It! - (Mar 18th)