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The Beast of War (1988)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 2/25

BeasW
2/25: Shot on location in Israel as a stand-in for Afghanistan, The Beast of War is a strange yet well-made movie.

The hardest part to overcome is the American actors playing Russians. Had they spoke the language, I would've been okay with it. But still... On the other hand, if their nationality was switched, it wouldn't fit the narrative because the Russians did invade Afghanistan throughout the 80's. Now, did Steven Bauer, a Cuban, speak Pashto? Yes, he learned his lines phonetically.

The performances are generally good. I couldn't recognize Jason Patric until he finally took off his glasses. George Dzundza looks slender compared to his Law & Order days. It may seem Don Harvey had done this sort of thing before in Casualties of War, but that film came out a year later. The Afghan guy with the sunglasses and pakol is Chaim Jeraffi, and he's better known as the parking attendant in a couple of Seinfeld episodes: "The Wig Master" and "The Muffin Tops." At first, some of the characters acted cartoonish, but they got better over time.

What separates The Beast from the pack of the war genre is the level of atrocity. I can see why people were enamored with it based on how the envelope was pushed further than ever, especially in 1988. The only film I can think of that did it earlier is Hamburger Hill while the story somewhat reminds me of Southern Comfort due to soldiers not being familiar with the terrain.

All in all, if you want to see a no-holds-barred war picture, The Beast of War is a fine choice.