The "beast" of the title of this 1988 movie (also known as "The Beast of War") is a Soviet  T-62 tank (a real one), thought its Ahab of a commander, Daskal (played with great menace and more than a little paranoia by George Dzundza, a veteran of Vietnam movies "The Deer Hunter" and "Streamers"), is a credible candidate for the appellation. Had I not been paying attention during the opening credits, I would not have guessed that the movie, which has a lot of action as the tank rampages and is stalked through the desert (Israel locations substituting for Afghanistan ones), was based on a stage play ("Nanawatai" by William Mastrosimone).

Some of the movie takes place inside the tank (more, indeed, than any other movie I remember seeing even among those focused on a single tank crew in a trackless desert such as Sahara), but a Pashutun village is destroyed, there is a lot of shooting, and a pivotal scene takes place in a very large cave.

The movie is set in 1981, the second year of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1988 many American viewers saw the story as a reflection on Vietnam with the Soviet commander distrusting the local who is supposedly on the same side (Akbar, played by Kabir Bedi) and in indiscriminate killing of civilians. In 2008, it is much easier to reflect from the mess the Soviets make in Afghanistan to the mess George W. Bush & Co. have made in Iraq... and Afghanistan.

The movie poses problems of with whom to identify. The Soviet invaders were still the US government's Enemy Number One in 1988 and the Soviet commander is a plenty scary guy clearly guilty of murder. The Pashtuans fighting the invaders were categorized by President Ronald Reagan (and Congressman Charlie Wilson) as "freedom fighters," and given material support. They were fighting for independence from infidel would-be modernizers, very definitely not for freedom and democracy. The best organized resistance fighters were the most Islamist, giving rise to the Taliban and al-Quaida. The fractuous tribesmen in "The Beast" view themselves (with convincing rationales) of being in the tradition of David tangling with Goliath armed only with a slingshot.

Taj, the most sympathetic of the Pashtuans (played by Stephen Bauer with most of his lines in Pushtu) is khan by heredity. He attempts with intermittent success to restrain tribesmen and tribeswomen from mindless revenge... and the sleazy Moustafa (Haim Gerafi) from putting looting above destroying the tank. Over the course of the chase of the tank that has lost its way, he ends up working with a Russian, Koverchenko (played by Jason Patrick who seems to specialize in being put in impossible quandaries), who questions authority and believes in the rule of law.

Like Captain Bligh, Daskal has genuine talent (I'm not sure what the analog to "seamanship," which Bligh demonstrated after the mutiny cast him onto the sea in a lifeboat). He definitely does not lack resolve!

There is no shortage of courage on display (excluding the other two tank crew members. The  final scene provides a particularly visually arresting instance. "The Beast" has more to interest American viewers now than it did on its release 20 years ago. There are many explosions, but no cartoon heroes. Koverchenko concludes that it is not possible to be a good soldier in a lousy war, though Taj and his uncle, Samad, seem to me to provide counterexamples (or war against invaders is not the same "lousy war" as for the invaders...)

The cast excels. The actors playing Russians speak (American) English. The Mujahideen (and a force of women on their own), including Bauer, speak Pushtu that is subtitled.

With a small budget Kevin Reynolds (director of "Tristan + Isolde," screenplay writer of "Red Dawn") made a tight and graphic movie about conflicts on both sides of the larger conflict. The cinematography of Douglas Milsome (who also shot "Full-Metal Jacket") is outstanding — not only of the stark desert locales but in the claustrophobic shots inside the tank. That I think so must mean the video transwer was good.

The DVD offers a choice of English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, or Thai subtitles (but not Pushtu...) and French, Spanish and Portuguese audio tracks, but no bonus features other than talent files and trailers for three other Columbia DVDs — but not any for "The Beast."

©  2008, Stephen O. Murray

 

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD