The Beast of War (aka The Beast)

Just wanna do a quick recommend on The Beast of War aka The Beast.  It’s set in the early 80’s during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  The opening shows the appalling destruction of a small Afghan village in the desert by a couple of Russian tanks leaving only rubble, corpses and orphaned babies behind.  Kinda hard to watch.  After the blitz one tank takes the wrong path on their way to the next target and gets lost.  Their radio got busted in the previous attack and their map got partially burned so they can’t call for help or figure out where they are.  The survivors of the decimated village get word that the tank has broken off from their group and is essentially trapped in the middle of nowhere.  They decide to take advantage of the situation to seek revenge.  The story plays out like a cat and mouse game with the Soviets hopelessly marching on while doing battle with the Afghans every so often.

It's a wonderful and inventive setup that’s based on a play by William Mastrosimone (With Honors) which makes sense.  It’s an ensemble performance about the horrors of war, mania, redemption, honor, forgiveness, rage, etc.  This sort of story seems timeless and I’m sure just about every culture has an ancient tale that’s similar to it.  You could easily have this set in any time period, any location and with any two foes from any background fighting each other.

And while all the battle scenes are well staged and the effects are good and the production design is awesome and the cinematography is stunning (Douglas Milsome (Full Metal Jacket, Breakdown)) the centerpiece is definitely the performances which are all really impressive.  Of course the one that slaps you in the face the hardest is George Dzundza (Species II, No Mercy) as the tank commander.  He’s a ruthless fuck who doesn’t give a shit about anything but his tank.  Worse than that though is he has a Queeg thing going on from The Caine Mutiny where he sees conspiracy against him everywhere.  So you never know when he’ll turn on you and attempt murder.  Dzundza plays up the delusion and absolute confidence in his authority perfectly.  He darts these crazy shifty eyes all over the place waiting, even daring for someone to defy him.  He truly is a scary sonuvabitch.

However, the most interesting set of characters are the leader of the Afghan tribe, Taj played by Steven Bauer (Traffic, Gleaming the Cube), and the Soviet tank driver and mechanic Koverchenko played by Jason Patric (Rush, Narc).  Taj becomes Khan after his father and brother are killed in the attack on his village from the opening and he struggles with that.  It’s not how he wanted to inherit that prestigious position.  At first he tries to forcibly assert his authority with poor results but then over the course of the revenge mission he grows and learns how to handle his men and when to show mercy or implement violence.

On the flipside Koverchenko realizes he’s caught between a rock and hard place.  He knows that if he doesn’t carry out his superior’s orders, like needlessly running over an incapacitated man with the tank, he’ll get shot.  He’s not necessarily the best soldier because he thinks too much for himself instead of mindlessly following his commander.  He also tries to learn a little about the Afghani culture from an interpreter/soldier/Afghan communist in his squad.  His continued bickering with his commander escalates until finally the unit ties him to a rock, rests a grenade behind his head and leaves him for dead.  The Afghans find him and decide to take him prisoner instead of dispatching him on the spot.  Koverchenko is pissed so when the Afghans offer him the chance to join their venture to destroy the tank he takes it.

This relationship between Taj and Koverchenko is complex and beautiful.  They don’t know each other’s language, have different customs, values and motives yet they join forces and bond over this one objective to make the soldiers in that fuckin’ tank pay.  Is the enemy of your enemy your friend?  Or do you still hold a grudge because their past is irreconcilable?  Taj makes a ballsy move at the risk of losing his men’s respect by reaching out to Koverchenko for help.  His expertise and insider knowledge would be exceptionally valuable for the mission.  Neither man ever thought they’d be in this incredibly awkward and delicate situation which makes it all the more touching when they form an uneasy alliance.

Bauer and Patric are really great together and give passionate performances.  You can see the body language change as they slowly start trusting each other.  Patric puts on his trademark tough individualistic attitude ardent about his beliefs and Bauer displays his trademark big brother-like warm inviting demeanor.  Watching them play off one another is fantastic.

The trickiest aspect of the film is how it messes with your emotions about Koverchenko.  At first he’s a monster because he’s part of a crew that mercilessly destroys people’s lives.  Then he turns on his own squad so you want to root for him.  Taj doesn’t know how to feel either by asking “are you a devil or an angel?”  And I guess the answer is he’s both.  It’s complicated.  It depends on who you ask, when you ask and what your objectives are.  And I love that the film lets you decide for yourself where you stand.

So check this one out.  It’s Kevin Reynolds’ (The Count of Monte Cristo, Waterworld) best picture which…may…not be the best way to sell it.  Look, it’s a fantastic movie that I wasn’t expecting much out of and ended up really digging.