The Beast (aka The Beast of War) is a Columbia Pictures movie about a Soviet T-62 tank lost in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1981. The movie was released in 1989. an amazon photo, copyright belongs to Columbia TriStar though. ... The Columbia Pictures logo, since 1996. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics/ Communist state Area  - Total  - % water Largest on the planet 22,402,200 km² ?% Population  - Total  - Density 3rd before collapse 293,047,571 (July... The T-62 Soviet main battle tank is a further development of the T-54/55 series. ... A Soviet soldier on guard in Afghanistan in 1988. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was based on a Walter Mastrosimone play entitled Nanawatai.

It was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who later directed Waterworld. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Waterworld was a 1995 film that was co-produced by Kevin Costner and directed by Kevin Reynolds. ...

It starred George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Steven Bauer, and Stephen Baldwin. George Dzundza as Sgt. ... Jason Patric Jason Patric (born June 17, 1966) is an Irish-American actor who has appeared in such films as The Lost Boys and The Alamo. ... Steven Bauer is an actor. ... Stephen Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor. ...

Plot summary

The Soviet T-55A is in Afghanistan attacking a village. The tank loses its radio during an attack by the women of the village and manages to get lost in a valley with only one way in or out. Also while attacking the small village, Commander Daskal decides to brutally murder an innocent rebel by crushing him with the tank.

Mujahadeen warriors, lead by Taj, declare that they will seek badal (revenge) because the T-55A maynarded (ran over) Taj's brother, and begin to pursue the tank and the people inside. Mujahideen (مجاهدين; also transliterated as mujāhidīn, mujahedeen, mujahedin, mujahidin, mujaheddin, etc. ...

The Muslim tank log keeper and translator, Samad, teaches Koverchenko the Afghan word for sanctuary in which Pashtunwali demands that even if a man be an enemy, under sanctuary or nanawatay (pronounced na-na-wah-teh) he must be "fed, clothed and protect[ed]". Pashtunwali is the indigenous pre-Islamic honor code (which some believe is a religion) of the ethnic Afghan people, otherwise known as the Pashtun people. ...

Commander Daskal, known as "Tank Boy" during the Great Patriotic War (World War II) for destroying countless Nazi tanks in the Battle of Stalingrad, grows more psychotic as the movie goes on, even to the point of killing Samad after refusing to let him pray. The Eastern Front1 was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Combatants Axis Powers Soviet Union Commanders Erich von Manstein Friedrich Paulus Georgy Zhukov Vasily Chuikov Strength 500,000 (6th Army) 1,700,000 Casualties 850,000 military 750,000+ military 40,000+ civilian (estimates up to 1. ...

After forcing the two of the remaining four tank crew (Golikov and Kaminski) to tie up the driver, Konstantine Koverchenko to a rock to die, Koverchenko then has all the intent of stopping that tank.

Koverchenko and town khan Taj eventually become friends and Koverchenko agrees to do his best to disable the tank (which thanks to assistance by a Soviet helicopter has been refueled on Daskal's command instead of calling an air-strike on the tank and returning the crew back to their base).

Koverchenko and the Mujahadeen, armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher, find the tank and are able to disable it. Mujahideen (مجاهدين; also transliterated as mujāhidīn, mujahedeen, mujahedin, mujahidin, mujaheddin, etc. ... Ruchnoi Protivotankovye Granatamyot (RPG) or (Cyrillic) Ручной противотанковый гранатомет (РПГ). Often mistakenly called a Rocket Propelled Grenade in the West, RPG is the Russian acronym for Ruchnoi (Handheld), Protivotankovye (Anti-Tank), Granatamyot (Grenade Launcher). The RPG is a hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon capable of firing an unguided rocket containing an explosive...

In the end, however, Koverchenko decides to leave the freedom fighters and boards a helicopter for safety as Golikov and Kaminski run from the Afghans and their vengeance.

Notable details

• The T-62 normally had a crew of four. In "The Beast" there was a crew of five.
• Several actual T-62 tanks were used in the film although the helicopter used in the film was not a real Mi-8. The tank in question in the movie is actually an Israeli modification of a captured Soviet T-62, redesignated as the TI-67. Many of these conversions were used by the Israelis during the 1972 war against Egypt. The film's military advisor, Dale Dye, has written that he negotiated the purchase of the tanks over drinks with Israel Defence Force officers in a Tel Aviv hotel. He also states, apparently incorrectly, that they were T-55s. [1]
• Throughout the entire movie, the only Russian accents were the ones heard on the music radio.
• The language spoken by the native Afghani was Pashtu.
• The character Moustafa wore Soviet medals, including the Order of Lenin, the Soviet Army 20 year service medal, the Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Red Star, and a couple of others, all of which were scavenged from dead Soviet troops.

Russian Mi-8 Hip The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) is a large transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. ... Dale Dye was born on May 8, 1944, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... The T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... Pashto (پښتو; also known as Afghan, Pushto, Pashto, Pashtoe, Pashtu, and Pukhto) is the language spoken by the ethnic Afghan otherwise known as the Pashtun people who inhabit Afghanistan and the Western provinces of Pakistan. ... The Order of Lenin (ru: Орден Ленина), named after the leader of the Russian Revolution, was the second highest national order of the Soviet Union (Highest was the Order of Victory). ... The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Battle Red Banner, better-known as the Order of the Red Banner (in Russian: Орден Крaсного Знамени Orden Krasnogo Znameni) on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War. ... Order of the Red Star Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an Order (decoration) of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Navy personnel for exceptional service in the cause of the Defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace. ...

External links

• The Beast of War at the Internet Movie Database
• Notes on the production from military advisor Dale Dye

The tank used obviously had a T54/T55 chasis, as can be seen from the gap between the front two, of five wheels. Israel captured a number of T55s and modified the turret, allowing for a 105mm gun. (this looks similar to the 115mm gun of the T62 with a bore extractor 2/3 down the barrel). The standard 100mm T55 gun had the bore extractor at the muzzle. The tank used in The Beast was clearly a modified T55. Israel renamed this unusual configuration the Ti67. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ...