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The Beast of War
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The Beast of War (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   3,072 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 27% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Kevin Reynolds
Writer:
William Mastrosimone (play) (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Beast of War on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 September 1988 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Drama | History | War more
Tagline:
War brings out the beast in every man. more
Plot:
During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Cold War ideology more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
George Dzundza ... Daskal

Jason Patric ... Koverchenko

Steven Bauer ... Taj

Stephen Baldwin ... Golikov

Don Harvey ... Kaminski

Kabir Bedi ... Akbar

Erick Avari ... Samad
Chaim Girafi ... Moustafa (as Haim Gerafi)
Shoshi Marciano ... Sherina (as Shosh Marciano)
Yitzhak Ne'eman ... Iskandar (as Itzhak Babi Ne'Eman)

David Sherrill ... Kovolov
Moshe Vapnik ... Hasan
Claude Aviram ... Sadioue
Victor Ken ... Ali
Avi Keedar ... Noor
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Beast (USA) (video box title)
more
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Pashtu
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Israel
Company:
A&M Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The words "Badal" and "Nanawatai" that are spoken by the rebels in the film mean "Revenge" and "Mercy". more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The RPG being shown in the movie has a High Explosive (HE) version. The Russian army would not brought Anti-Tank weapons to Afghanistan. The Russian Tanks had nothing to fear from these RPGs. However damage is shown after the attack more
Quotes:
Daskal: [drinks from Kaminski's canteen and spits it out] Brake fluid?
Koverchenko: No wonder they don't work.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001) more
Soundtrack:
STREETCAR HEADED EAST more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
22 out of 29 people found the following comment useful:-
Cold War ideology, 11 September 2004
Author: fairviewed from Cincinnati, OH

The review of this film by whpratt1 is completely wrong. This film is not critical of the Mujahadeen, but rather shows them struggling to fight for their freedom. The Soviet army is the oppressive evil presence. This film was made during the Cold War, when Americans saw a line drawn in the sand between communism and capitalist democracy. In the film, the Soviets are clearly the bad guys, and the Mujahadeen are fighting the good fight. The main character comes to understand this during the film, finally telling his Soviet commanding officer that "we're the Nazis this time."

During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States funded, supplied, and trained Mujahadeen forces. American stinger missiles were used to shoot down Soviet helicopters. The most famous Mujahadeen fighter trained by the United States would come to be Osama bin Laden. He would participate in the fight against the Soviet army, much to the approval of the United States. This film pays tribute to the Mujahadeen for valiantly defending themselves against America's enemy. The fact that the United States has invaded Afghanistan makes the film much more interesting to watch. It is ironic that these militants once praised by Hollywood are now our enemies. The lesson this film should teach us now, albeit inadvertently, is that we should be careful who we glorify and who we vilify. Humans will be humans, and will fight for what they *believe* is right, sometimes whether it actually is right or not.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Beast of War (1988)
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Kevin Reynolds's best ? actually_yes
Realism AccidntlTourist
Why did the Soviets invade Afghanistan? Pearl_Jade
CD Copy available on eBay bobbyp1966
Made in Israel? RinoRN_54
FOUND: 'Streetcar Headed East' by Kino! bobbyp1966
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