This film is as I said one of the greatest war films ever made. It is also the only one that I am aware of that focuses on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. A serviceable plot makes it easier for the tank crew to turn out some great performances. Stephen Baldwin is even tolerable in this one and this is the only role to date where he shouldn't be killed for his decision to act. Don Harvey is a unsung star as the brake fluid swigging Kaminski and Jason Patric turns in a good perfomance as Koverchenko, the moral driver torn between being a good soldier and obeying his instincts. This also qualifies as the best tank movie ever made and the T-62 tank that is featured is the real star of the show. I think that the Soviets were using T-72 tanks in this particular conflict but I'm just being a little anal. Overall, this is one of my top ten and I think that any war movie fan should check this one out.

That a film as good as The Beast of War is so unknown to the masses is nothing short of criminal. The film is tragic, exciting, suspenseful, and intelligent. From detailed depictions of the Soviet military to the rare glimpse inside the Afghan social structure, this film takes the viewer to places that few films have ever dared to venture. The film is compelling on many levels, and it will stick with you for a long time after you see it.

The film centers around a five-man Soviet tank crew hopelessly lost in Afghanistan after taking part in a vicious raid on a tiny village. The survivors of the village vow to chase this tank to the edge of the earth in order to achieve "badal", which is a fancy word for revenge. Steven Bauer (of Scarface fame) plays their young leader. The tank crew is led by a hard-nosed commander who would seemingly trade the lives of his crew for the safety of his tank. He's played by a slimmed-down George Dzundza who you may recognize, but not be able to name the other films he's been in. (Deer Hunter, No Mercy are a couple of them.) Also on board is an idealistic young driver played by Jason Patric. He and the commander are at odds from the very beginning, and that conflict takes a turn you would never guess at the film's outset.

The tank crew and those in pursuit have numerous skirmishes as the film plays out. The film is so well-crafted that the viewer can emphasize with whatever characters are in the camera lens. We know the Soviets are pigs for the way they have behaved during their invasion, but it's amazing to see what the commander will come up with next to keep the tank running fast enough to keep them just ahead of the rebels who are hot on their tail. Scene after scene punctuates the tragic human cost of such an invasion, and the devastated lives left in its wake.

The film is extraordinarily violent. Director Kevin Reynolds leaves nothing to the imagination regarding the brutality of the Soviet invaders, and the destruction that their weapons have brought to Afghanistan. The film is technically astounding in many respects. Filmed in Israel, the vast desert landscape is a beautiful but desperate backdrop for a film about the savagery of military conflict. I'll bet you won't be able to get some of the violent images out of your head for days after seeing this film. Nor will you be unable to imagine yourself in the shoes of the tank crew completely cut off from help and at the mercy of a merciless commander and an unforgiving desert.

George Dzundza walks away with the film from an acting perspective. How about his line regarding their standing orders once the tank has been disabled by the rebels? As he passes out grenades to the remaining crew members he utters the unforgettable dogma: "Out of commission, become a pillbox; out of ammo, become a bunker: out of time, become heroes...."

See this film. 9 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

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.