Truly Dreadful Film

Don't listen to the negative reviews

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It's 1981 Afghanistan in the second year of the Russian invasion. Daskal (George Dzundza) commands a Russian tank. Konstantin Koverchenko (Jason Patric) is the driver. Samad is the translator. Anthony Golikov (Stephen Baldwin) and Kaminski are the others in the tank crew. After they raize a Mujahadeen village, the guerrillas seek their revenge. The tank gets lost in the desert.American movies often tackle various American wars. This was a time of Platoon and Rambo. Afghanistan was not well known at the time. This one tackles a Soviet war reminiscent of the worst of the Vietnam War. The brutality on both sides is compelling. There is solid tension. The characters on both sides are well-drawn. That gives it something more than a simple war movie. It's almost Shakespearean in nature.

The bad thing about owning a tank is all your friends want to borrow it when they invade a country.However, the invading vehicle in this action movie is on loan from the Soviets.During their invasion of Afghanistan, a Soviet tank - lead by Commander Daskal (George Dzundza) - loses its bearings following a raid on an Islamic radical village.When pacifist Taj (Steven Bauer) finds his father murdered by the communists, he's forced by the village to retaliate.In pursuit, he encounters a tank crewman (Jason Patric) jettison by his crewmates (Stephen Baldwin, Don Harvey) for mutiny.In exchange for sanctuary, the crewman must repair Taj's anti-tank gun.Despite little attempt at masking their American accents, the manly cast of this underrated and action-packed adaptation of the stage play manages to convey the message of mercy during wartime.Incidentally, isn't the national symbol of Russia an invading tank?Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

... as do its origins as a play. William Mastrosimone's a good enough playwright but doesn't have a good grasp of screenplays. The potential's there in the idea but he makes his political points too clumsily and there are far too many convenient coincidences that would have been (were?) overlooked on a stage. Even so, the biggest problem is the miscasting of the tank commander. He's never credible, despite his acting abilities, which are considerable. He's just miscast. He's the overweight sidekick or the comic relief, not a driven, battle-hardened Soviet commander. The other mistake was filming it in Israel. While parts of Afghanistan are barren, using Israel as a stand in flattens the film and lessens the impact of the Soviet presence. Hard to explain but it's clear when you see the film that the backdrop is wrong. Not a bad film but it could have been so much better.

Director Kevin Reynolds who also created other classic flicks, Tristan + Isolde 2006, One Eight Seven 1997 and Rapa Nui 1994 has created another gem in The Beast of War.Starring Jason Patric who has also been in another classic flick, Rush 1991.Also starring George Dzundza who has also been in other classic flicks, Crimson Tide 1995, Basic Instinct 1992 and The Deer Hunter 1978.Also starring Steven Bauer who has also been in other classic flicks, Charlie Valentine 2009, Pit Fighter 2005 and Scarface 1983.I enjoyed the battle scenes and the barren settings.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic post Vietnam war flicks, Battle for Haditha 2007, Behind Enemy Lines 2001, Black Hawk Down 2001, Dirty War 2004, The Hurt Locker 2008, Invasion U.S.A. 1985, Jarhead 2005, Pretty Village, Pretty Flame 1996, Kandahar Break 2009, Lebanon 2009, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire 2014, Lone Survivor 2013, American Sniper 2014, Green Zone 2010, Eye in the Sky 2015, Jarhead 3: The Siege 2016, 13 Hours 2016, The Wall 2017, 12 Strong 2018 and Three Kings 1999.