Was Hamburger hill an anti war film or a pro war film?

Answer 1

It's a decidedly anti-war film because of its emphasis on its futility. The ending depicts that the capture of the hill was ultimately futile; and indeed, that allusion to the actual Hamburger Hill (just one of many examples in which hills are taken to be left open for North Vietnamese retaking) suggests that the entire war is futile because Hamburger Hill characterises the lack of concrete objectives in the Vietnam War, as was fact when they attempted to capture Hamburger Hill. It also makes a statement against the flippant loss of lives in pursuit of such futile objectives.

There is, however, a different way to look at it. There are many allusions to the home front in the war - allusions to college-level anti-war subversion, hostile hippies, and loss of credibility and pride by veterans. All these - although false, but part of 'Nam's historical memory - suggests an aversion to the anti-war movement.

Thus, technically, while the film is anti-war, it is not motivated by popular anti-war sentiment of that time. It achieves its anti-war position by independent exploration, something that the FNGs (F***in' New Guys, the servicemen portrayed in the film) also go through together with the audience.