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George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Bauer, Stephen Baldwin, Don Harvey ... see more see more... , Kabir Bedi , Erick Avari , Shosh Marciano , Claude Aviram , Haim Geraffi , Roberto Pollak , David Sherrill , Ilene Starger , Rami Heuberger

In Kevin Reynolds' The Beast, George Dzundza plays a cruel Russian tank commander who gets lost in the wilderness during the war in Afghanistan. As the enemy closes in, the glazed-eyed Dzundza must re... read more read more...ly on his survival training to see him through this crisis. Meanwhile, one of Dzundza's men (Jason Patric), abandoned and left to die by his demonic commander, joins the Afghan cause. Filmed in Israel, The Beast (aka The Beast of War) was adapted from a play by William Mastrosimone. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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78% liked it

4,304 ratings

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Kevin Reynolds

Release Date: September 16, 1988

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DVD Release Date: May 15, 2001

Stats: 233 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (233)

  • Callahan441
    October 21, 2011
    Callahan441
    'The Beast', whilst a visceral and intense film, lacks the scope, depth and power of war films such as 'Platoon' and especially 'Apocalypse Now'. Also, it borrows a lot from the plot of 'Platoon' which preceded it by two years; the troops being divided by their tyrannical superio... read morer.

    But my main issue with the film was the 'Russians'' American accents. At first I listened closely to every nuance of the Commander's voice, quickly realising he was 100% American; no effort had been made by any of the 'Russian' crew to attempt a Russian accent. This tarnished the integrity of the film, but I do praise the authenticity of the Afghans however, with Steven Bauer amongst others speaking in the native language with subtitles.

    Like 'Rambo III', which also opened in 1988 (one year before the conflict officially ended), the film is a political statement about the war and is clearly for an American/Western audience.

    As well as the unsavoury depiction of the particular cruel members of the Russian troops, the political stance of the production is explicitly revealed with quotes such as 'How is it that we're the Nazis now?' and 'I tried to be a good soldier, but you can't be a good soldier in a rotten war'.

    Ultimately, 'The Beast' gives a compelling and at times graphic insight into a war that doesn't have the cinematic coverage of Vietnam or WW2. Its dark tone and sense of vast wilderness achieved through effective cinematography and fitting audio make it a good cause to allocate 1 hr 40 minutes of your day to. (Certainly better than 'Rambo III')
  • garyX
    January 31, 2008
    garyX
    An liberal conscript Russian soldier in Afghanistan suffers at the hands of an obsessive tyrannical commander. Later he is abandoned to the mercies of the pursuing Afghan rebels for refusing to execute a Muslim crewmate and learns to understand his erstwhile enemies, as they join... read more forces in a quest for vengeance. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is a rarely discussed topic in movies, and their campaign is often referred to as the "Russian Vietnam"; in fact the subject matter of a young crew lost in hostile territory combined with it's dreamlike atmosphere actually reminded me a little of a dusty Apocalypse Now. It's obvious where Reynolds' sympathies lie from the outset, as a small rural village is destroyed by Russian bombs and tanks, their well poisoned and women armed with rocks repelled with poison gas; this makes it ironic that the Russian crew are played by American actors which serves to remind us that it's actually THEIR soldiers who are subjugating the Afghans at the moment. The intelligent script also throws up some nice, uncontrived feeling moral retribution in the fact that Patric's character's attempts to learn about and understand his "enemies" proves to be his salvation, just as Dzundza's brutal and inhumane methods prove to be his undoing. Cleverly written, well played and some interesting subject matter make this an unusual and thoughtful war film.
  • harrycaul
    November 8, 2007
    harrycaul
    It's not currently fashionable to view Afghan rebels as heroes but this excellent and unusual war movie, one of the best of the 1980s, is still worth watching. A Soviet tank unit destroys an Afghan village and the constantly squabbling crew of the sole surviving tank attempt to e... read morescape vengeful Mujahadeen guerrillas. I watched The Archers' "49th Parallel" again recently and in that film and this the soldiers, sensibly, speak without a foreign accent. We know they're supposed to be Russian; the actors don't need to murder an accent to prove it.
  • ironclad1609
    October 16, 2006
    ironclad1609
    Good anti war movie about the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 80s. Ugly, bitter, unpredictable and very disturbing, especially in the beginning.
  • kylemydude
    July 21, 2010
    kylemydude
    One of the most unheard of films, very under rated.
  • mitsoma97
    January 20, 2010
    mitsoma97
    Love this movie and very accurate as far as the tank combat and russian tactics. Give this movie a shot for it's good action, excellent story, and damn good actors!
  • odaydj30
    November 25, 2007
    odaydj30
    Well what can I say about this mess of a movie, it had a Baldwin? And who can top a group of blood thirsty desert whores who kill the general at the end.
  • thescunk
    November 12, 2007
    thescunk
    A good movie about a rarely discust topic. This film follows a lost Russian tank unit through the desert of Afghanistan. While clearly biased against Russia, it's still a good movie.
  • threepunchstuff
    August 9, 2006
    threepunchstuff
    A better Afghanistan action movie than Rambo 3, even though my uncle was an extra in the latter. That's right I'm way famous!!!

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Critic Reviews

David Nusair
September 25, 2002
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a surprisingly effective look at how men behave during times of war. Full Review

February 23, 2012
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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