Truly Dreadful Film

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This movie begins with an Army Command Sergeant Major named "Zack Carey" (James Garner) relocating to a new assignment somewhere in Georgia. What makes Zack so unusual is that during the course of his military career he has managed to build a Sherman tank from scratch and he is taking it with him to his new post. Although this is his last tour of duty he soon discovers that he is not destined to retire in peace as a brawl at a nightclub puts him and his entire family in the sights of an evil law enforcement official by the name of "Sheriff Buelton" (G. D. Spradlin). However, what Sheriff Buelton fails to take into account is that, even though he has a great deal of authority in the local area, it isn't wise to bully a man like like CSM Carey too far--especially when he has a Sherman tank at his disposal. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, even though this picture was a minor success when it first came out, having seen it again just recently I must admit that the film itself is rather uneven and hasn't improved with age. Yet despite its obvious flaws, it's still entertaining to a certain degree and because of that I have rated it accordingly. Average.

While that is unheard of today, back in the 80's it wasn't so. Movies and popular culture didn't have that PC dogma. While this movie is...a jingoistic ballad for the Reagan era. Tank does have a great antagonist. Even the 80's produced despicable villains who you enjoyed hating. Not one of these overly polite "villains" who kill you with kindness and have the consideration of today's good guys. Garner and Spradlin are not at fault here. Garner's Master Sergeant Carey, and Spradlin's Cyrus Buelton actually gave performances above their salary. Not Oscar worthy, but that's not this kind of material and I think they saw that going in. It's everyone else who just delivers these perky and wooden performances that probably reflect their enthusiasm. Or salary. The "plot" begins with M.Sgt. Carey visiting a bar and chatting it up with a prostitute. Well, Carey's not a local and is unaware of local politics. When the deputy abuses a local pro (who lives in a cliché'd trailer), Carey chivalrously doles out repercussions to him. Well, the next morning, the big hoss sees that he's been dis-respected. Since Euclid has his face marked up, metaphorically, the Sheriff's "face is marked up." Well, that just encourages degenerates to start sassing their hoss.Apparently, Buelton fancies himself a surrogate father who views his subjects as belligerents. And enjoys that. Buelton runs his district like Caligula, Tiberius, Nero, and a 4 foot Napoleon combined! Well, things escalate as Buelton's petty ego demands extortion, and retribution. I love how Buelton; being a Sheriff, doesn't know much about law except what he chooses to know and enforce. Buelton has Carey's son, Billy framed to get to Carey and shows Carey who's the "massa" at a inmate labor farm. In a not-so-veiled threat to inspire compliance from Carey. Well, Carey's wife complicates matters by hiring a lawyer who is promptly incarcerated and Buelton provoked into upping the ante to show Carey he means business. While this story seems far fetched, it's supposed to be based on an incident with Patton. I couldn't see execs green-lighting a project like this today on this scale. But if you like these far fetched 80's films. I recommend writers take note of how a villain is should be portrayed. Tank did succeed in making Buelton so ruthlessly sadistic, that you yearned for Buelton to get his come-uppance. But that's all it succeeded in doing it. The result is far less gratifying. Short story long:What the movie's morality is saying; is that when you play by the rules, and the law doesn't, you have carte blanche to see that you get the justice you deserve. As long as you have ten grand, a wife of suspiciously infinite kindness, and a Sherman Tank at Fort Benning. This is sadistic film-making at it's best.

It's as though they switched genres in the middle of the movie from drama to comedy. There's a good beginning building Zack as a tough as nails Master Sargent who is a stand up guy. Standing up for what's right in a corrupt town, including the Mayor and Police, gets him into trouble with the locals. When the mayor finds he can't touch Zack, he goes after his son, sending him to a brutal work camp on trumped up drug charges. Zack goes off in his tank to free his son and somewhere after the breakout the movie falls apart. Prior to this point, it seems there was no attempt to get a laugh, now, every cliché in the book is worked in at the cost of any pretense of seriousness

This is absolutely the dumbest movie I've ever seen. What a waste of a splendid cast. That's James Cromwell as the ignoramus playing deputy. I could go on and on, but I would obviously be spending more time on this review than anybody ever did on the script. The only thing this movie is about is us vs. them and how to revel in profane slapstick beyond any reasonable human being's tolerance. This is one of the 10 worst movies I have ever seen -- and I LOVE James Garner.