History Film / TheBeastOfWar

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: The movie begins with a Soviet tank assault on a village. Among the atrocities committed we have one local who is crushed by a tank as a method of execution.

* ReligiousBruiser: Taj and his man encounter a holy man who feels that their pursuit of the tank is re-enacting the tale of David and Goliath. He proceeds to accompany them for the rest of the pursuit.

* JustPlaneWrong: A French-built, Israeli-operated Aérospatiale ''Super Frelon'' stands in for the Soviet Mi-8 "Hip". To be fair, [[WeapnsUnderstudies it bears more resemblance to an Mi-8 than pretty much any other western helicopter]], and they took the time to give it a realistic Soviet paint scheme and markings instead of simply slapping a red star on the side and calling it good.

* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Rocket Launcher]]: The sole [=RPG=] that the Afghan rebels have left, and the only weapon on hand that can take out the "beast". At the movie's start, it's broken... but Koverchenko fixes it, proving his worth to the rebels. [[spoiler:When it comes time to use it, however, it only destroys the tank's gun barrel. It's left to an improvised rock slide by the tribal women to immobilize the tank.]]

* EnsignNewbie: Private Golikov is the youngest member of the crew. He freaks out as things get worse, and goes along with Daskal and Kaminsky in abandoning Koverchenko, though the latter only because he's terrified that he'll be next.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Koverchenko's first action unmasked in the village is rushing to a burning T-55 in an attempt to save the crew. [[StuffBlowingUp He fails]], but it contrasts in comparison to the destruction his other crew members did to the Afghan village, especially Kaminsky ignoring his burning comrades to brutally beat a man with the butt of his AKMS.

* JustPlaneWrong: A French-built, Israeli-operated Aérospatiale ''Super Frelon'' stands in for the Soviet Mi-8 "Hip". To be fair, it bears more resemblance to an Mi-8 than pretty much any other western helicopter, and they took the time to give it a realistic Soviet paint scheme and markings instead of simply slapping a red star on the side and calling it good.

* OnlySaneMan: The newly-promoted ''khan'' of the Afghan tribe pursuing the tank is more sensible and level-headed than the rest of his tribe, especially compared to his reckless and corrupt cousin and to his sister-in-law, who's gone from mad witnessing her husband's death under the tank's treads.

** The tank commander kills the Afghan member of his crew, convinced he's working for the ''mujahideen'' pursuing them.

** The ''mujahideen'' have elements of this too, but they're more effective in the long run.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Daskal is killed by the vengeful women of the village, in violation of the mercy Taj had offered. Kaminski and Golikov flee further into the desert and most likely will die out there. Koverchenko, who had allied himself with the rebels to get revenge on his treacherous crewmates, realizes that he does not belong with the tribe and leaves with a rescue helicopter toward an uncertain fate.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: Understanding what Daskal has ordered, Taj's petulantly brother slaps Kaminsky's hands away and crawls in front of the tank's left track without a hint of fear for his imminent, gruesome death.

During the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan, a T-55 tank becomes separated from the main body of the army after obliterating an Afghan village. Trapped in a dead-end valley and hunted by vengeful ''mujahideen'', the crew gradually turn on each other. The brutal tank commander Daskal (George Dzundza) grows paranoid about their Afghan Army guide Samad (Erick Avari) and clashes with the independent-minded driver Konstantin Koverchenko (Jason Patric), with the gunner Kaminski and loader Golikov (Stephen Baldwin) caught in the middle.

* ChildSoldier: Daskal fought in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a kid (ironically as a tank buster). Also some of the Afghan fighters are clearly underage.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Koverchenko's first action unmasked in the village is rushing to a burning T-55 in an attempt to save the crew. [[StuffBlowingUp He fails]], but it contrasts in comparison to the destruction his other crew members did to the Afghan village.

* {{Irony}}: The tank commander fought in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a boy, used in suicidal missions to blow up German tanks. The irony that he is now in ''charge'' of an invading tank is lost on him.
* JustPlaneWrong: A French-built, Israeli-operated Aérospatiale ''Super Frelon'' stands in for the Soviet Mi-8 "Hip".

* RecklessGunUsage: A moment of BlackComedy occurs when the cousin is trying to work out how to fire the RPG and launches off a rocket.

* TanksButNoTanks: The eponymous beast is in fact a Ti-67; a T-54/55 captured by Israel from Egypt or Syria, refitted with new armament, seats, optics et al., and pressed into Israeli service. Still, the T-55/Ti-67, designed for a four-man crew, is incredibly cramped inside, especially "buttoned-up" (all the hatches closed.) Cramming five men, the Soviets and Samad, in there is highly unrealistic. Kaminski would practically be sitting in Daskal's lap, and Koverchenko would never be able to load the main gun quickly and efficiently while sharing the space with Samad, even if they could fit both men in the loader's position at all.
* TankGoodness: ...But unlike many other movies, the only thing that makes the tank used and the tank depicted different are modifications. For all intents and purposes, it's a T-55.

'''Translator:''' (''in [[TranslationConvention English [Russian]]]'') "Sir, this woman respectfully requests you release her husband.\\
'''Tank Commander:''' Ask him where the rebels are.\\

'''Translator:''' He says he doesn't know.\\
(''the tank commander isn't fooled, and drives over the villager'')

* TanksButNoTanks: The eponymous beast is in fact a Ti-67; a T-54/55 captured by Israel from Egypt or Syria, refitted with new armament, seats, optics et al., and pressed into Israeli service.
* TankGoodness: ...But unlike many other movies, the only thing that makes the tank used and the tank depicted different are modifications. For all intents and purposes, it's a T-55.

* NotSoDifferent: Koverchenko and the tribal leader (''khan'') Taj could have been friends in a different reality.

During the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan, a T-55 tank becomes separated from the main body of the army after obliterating an Afghan village. Trapped in a dead-end valley and hunted by vengeful ''mujahideen'', the crew gradually turn on each other.

* BilingualDialogue: Sort of: The ''mujahideen'' and the tank driver manage to improvise a patois around onomatopoeia and the names of weapons.

* BigNo: Koverchenko [[spoiler: When Sammad is killed.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The tank commander is killed by the vengeful women of the village, in violation of the mercy their tribal leader had offered. The surviving tank crew flee further into the desert and most likely will die out there. The tank driver, who had allied himself with the rebels to get revenge on the hated tank commander, does not belong with the tribe and leaves with a rescue helicopter toward an uncertain fate.]]
* BoobyTrap: The Soviet tank crew leaves one of their own comrades tied to a rock with a grenade under his head. ("If you want anything, just nod.")

* ChainedToARock: The Russian protagonist, Koverchenko, is tied to a rock [[AHouseDivided by his own comrades]] and booby-trapped for the Afghan rebels to find. When he's attacked by wild dogs and the grenade slips from under his head, some frantic wriggling is required to let the grenade roll out from under him, over the edge of the rock where it detonates (fortunately driving off the dogs). Convincing the Afghans [[HonorBeforeReason not to cut the throat]] of this served-up infidel is another matter (but it helped that he learned the phrases for "mercy" from the Afghan translator beforehand).
* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Rocket Launcher]]: The sole [=RPG=] that the Afghan rebels have left, and the only weapon on hand that can take out the "beast". At the movie's start, it's broken... but the tank driver fixes it, proving his worth to the rebels. [[spoiler:When it comes time to use it, however, it only destroys the tank's gun barrel. It's left to an improvised rock slide by the tribal women to immobilize the tank.]]
* ChildSoldier: The tank commander fought in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a kid. Also some of the Afghan fighters are clearly underage.

* DirtyCommunists: The tank crew aren't especially political (except for the commander, who earned his rank fighting in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and beats the Soviet propaganda to the fullest), but they clearly live in a fearful state of screwing up and suffering some Soviet punishment, which only drives them to turn on each other rather than unite as the situation gets worse.

** Although, his first onscreen moment out of the tank, [[GasmaskMook but still in a mask]], is hand a container of cyanide to Samad to poison a water well.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The tank commander refuses to trust the Afghan crew member on anything, which leads to the tank getting lost from the rest of the command. The commander then kills the Afghan crew member without any proof the man was betraying them to the attacking rebels. This alienates the tank driver, who threatens to report this to their superiors first chance he gets. This leads to the tank commander chaining the driver (the one man who could have reasonably got them back to safety) to a rock as a trap for the pursuing rebels. But the tank driver learned a few words from the Afghan crew member, such as the phrase for "mercy" that no Afghani can ignore: basically gifting the rebels someone who can stop that tank once and for all...

** The tank commander insists on driving the tank (and its increasingly frustrated crew) all the way back to their base, even though they are clearly lost in enemy territory and the smart move was to take any relief transport out. When the commander threatens to shoot a helicopter crew that offered to get them back home, you know he's losing it...
** When the tank is finally caught in a rock slide, and out of ammo to fight back, the tank commander offers up two grenades to his remaining crew and suggest they "[[TakingYouWithMe become heroes.]]" The two crewmen [[ReasonBeforeHonor subdue the commander]] and immediately surrender to the rebels.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Toward the end of the movie they finally make it back to where they got separated from the other tanks, and the commander stares in silence at the track marks leading off in one direction whereas theirs lead off in the other. At the beginning of the movie he ignored the advise of his driver that they were heading in the wrong direction.
* NotSoDifferent: The tank driver and the tribal leader (''khan'') could have been friends in a different reality.

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: The Afghan translator and the tank driver bond over games of chess. The tank commander, already distrustful of the translator, doesn't share their interest in the game and uses it as a reason to distrust the tank driver...

* TankGoodness: ...But unlike many other movies, the only thing that makes the tank used and the tank depicted are modifications. For all intents and purposes, it's a T-55.
* TranslationConvention: The Russian tank crew speak English, while the Afghans speak Pashtu with English subtitles.
* TactfulTranslation: The Soviet tank commander orders a villager to be placed in front of his tank-track to encourage him to talk. His wife comes running up and is grabbed by the Afghan translator. The exchange goes something like this:

* YouOweMe: Subverted. A Soviet soldier knocks down an Afghan rebel pointing a jezail musket at a fellow soldier and says, "You owe me." The soldier doesn't bother telling him that the Afghan had actually pulled the trigger a moment before, but the weapon had misfired.

* WaterSourceTampering: [[UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan the Soviet tank crew]] is shown emptying poison canisters into a well while attacking a village. Later on one of the ''mujahideen'' is killed when he drinks from a poisoned well.
** The Soviets' poisoning of every water source they come across ends up biting them in the butt later, as a Soviet helicopter crew unknowingly drinks from a pond the tank crew [[HoistByHisOwnPetard had poured cyanide into earlier]] and all die before they can radio assistance for the stranded tank.

* BigNo: Koverchenko [[spoiler: when Sammad is killed.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The tank commander is killed by the vengeful women of the village, in violation of the mercy their tribal leader had offered. the surviving tank crew flee further into the desert and most likely will die out there. The tank driver, who had allied himself with the rebels to get revenge on the hated tank commander, does not belong with the tribe and leaves with a rescue helicopter toward an uncertain fate.]]

* FireBreathingWeapon

* JustPlaneWrong: A French-built, Israeli-operated Aérospatiale ''Super Frélon'' stands in for the Soviet Mi-8 "Hip".

* ChildSoldier: The tank commander fought in WorldWarII as a kid. Also some of the Afghan fighters are clearly underage.

* DirtyCommunists: The tank crew aren't especially political (except for the commander, who earned his rank fighting in WorldWarII and beats the Soviet propaganda to the fullest), but they clearly live in a fearful state of screwing up and suffering some Soviet punishment, which only drives them to turn on each other rather than unite as the situation gets worse.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Israel for Afghanistan.

* CriticalResearchFailure: At one point, Daskal recounts a time in Mongolia where he was in a tank that was hit by an RPG that sent the turret flying with the commander and gunner in it and that he drove the rest of the tank back to friendly lines. An explosion powerful enough to blow a turret off a tank would kill the ''whole'' crew, Daskal included. Furthermore, what remained of the tank after the ammo, fuel, and other combustible substances inside finished burning would ''not'' be in any shape to be driven anywhere under its own power.

** The''mujahideen'' have elements of this too, but they're more effective in the long run.

''The Beast of War'' is a 1988 American war movie based on the play ''Nanawatai'' by William Mastrosimone.

->''Well, sir, the roadwheel's cracked. Kaminski drank our brakes. We're low on petrol. The battery's low. We're losing oil. If the engine heats up it's gonna seize. The terrain, obviously against us. We have no rations. The Mujas behind us don't seem to run on rations, petrol, or anything we know of. And they have an RPG. Their aim is getting better. Sir. ''

* ChainedToARock: The Russian protagonist is tied to a rock [[AHouseDivided by his own comrades]] and booby-trapped for the Afghan rebels to find. When he's attacked by wild dogs and the grenade slips from under his head, some frantic wriggling is required to let the grenade roll out from under him, over the edge of the rock where it detonates (fortunately driving off the dogs). Convincing the Afghans [[HonorBeforeReason not to cut the throat]] of this served-up infidel is another matter (but it helped that he learned the phrases for "mercy" from the Afghan translator beforehand).

During the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan, a T-55 tank becomes separated from the main body of the army after obliterating an Afghan village. Trapped in a dead-end valley and hunted by vengeful ''muhajadeen'' the crew gradually turn on each other.

* BilingualDialogue: Sort of: The muhajadeen and the tank driver manage to improvise a patois around onomatopoeia and the names of weapons.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:the tank commander is killed by the vengeful women of the village, in violation of the mercy their tribal leader had offered. the surviving tank crew flee further into the desert and most likely will die out there. The tank driver: who had allied himself with the rebels to get revenge on the hated tank commander: does not belong with the tribe and leaves with a rescue helicopter toward an uncertain fate.]]

** The tank crew also do the same with a defective cannon shell, which claims one of the Mujahideen following them.

* ChainedToARock: The Russian protagonist is tied to a rock [[AHouseDivided by his own comrades]] and booby-trapped for the Afghan rebels to find. When he's attacked by wild dogs and the grenade slips from under his head, some frantic wriggling is required to let the grenade roll out from under him, over the edge of the rock where it detonates (fortunately driving off the dogs). Convincing the Afghans [[HonorBeforeReason not to cut the throat]] of this served up infidel is another matter (but it helped that he learned the phrases for "mercy" from the Afghan translator beforehand).
* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Rocket Launcher]]: the sole [=RPG=] that the Afghan rebels have left, and the only weapon on hand that can take out the "beast". At the movie's start, it's broken... but the tank driver fixes it, proving his worth to the rebels. [[spoiler:When it comes time to use it, however, it only destroys the tank's gun barrel. It's left to an improvised rock slide by the tribal women to immobilize the tank.]]
* ChildSoldier:The tank commander fought in WorldWarII as a kid,also some of the afghan fighters are clearly underage.
* DeadlyGas: When the tank is stoned by the village women, a chemical grenade is dropped out the bottom escape hatch. The women all flee except for one who's on top of the tank and doesn't realise the danger.
* DirtyCommunists: the tank crew aren't especially political: except for the commander, who earned his rank fighting in WorldWarII and beats the Soviet propaganda to the fullest: but they clearly live in a fearful state of screwing up and suffering some Soviet punishment, which only drives them to turn on each other rather than unite as the situation gets worse.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The tank commander refuses to trust the Afghan crewmember on anything, which leads to the tank getting lost from the rest of the command. The commander then kills the Afghan crewmember without any proof the man was betraying them to the attacking rebels. This alienates the tank driver, who threatens to report this to their superiors first chance he gets. This leads to the tank commander chaining the driver: the one man who could have reasonably got them back to safety: to a rock as a trap for the pursuing rebels. But the tank driver learned a few words from the Afghan crewmember: such as the phrase for "mercy" that no Afghani can ignore: basically gifting the rebels someone who can stop that tank once and for all...

* NotSoDifferent: the tank driver and the tribal leader (''khan'') could have been friends in a different reality.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene:The movie begins with a soviet tank assault on a village.Among the atrocities committed we have one local who is crushed by a tank as a method of execution.
* OnlySaneMan: the newly-promoted ''khan'' of the Afghan tribe pursuing the tank is more sensible and level-headed than the rest of his tribe, especially compared to his reckless and corrupt cousin and to his sister-in-law who's gone mad witnessing her husband's death under the tank's treads.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: most of the Afghan rebels pursuing the tank are this, especially the tribal women led by the grieving widow whose husband was crushed by the tank's treads. Subverted by the newly appointed tribal leader who stays level-headed for most of the film.
* SacredHospitality: The Pashtun rebels spare the life of Koverchenko when he appeals to their traditional code of Pashtunwali, which requires even an enemy to be given sanctuary if he asks. Though some of the rebels argue that the rules shouldn't apply to DirtyCommunists who've learnt a single word of their language (''nanawatai'' = sanctuary), the fact that he'd been left for dead by his comrades (and is willing to repair an RPG in order to blow them up in payback) is a significant factor in his defence.
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: the Afghan translator and the tank driver bond over games of chess. The tank commander, already distrustful of the translator, doesn't share their interest in the game and uses it as a reason to distrust the tank driver...
* TanksButNoTanks: the eponymous beast is in fact a Ti-67; a T-54/55 captured by Israel from Egypt or Syria, refitted with new armament, seats, optics et al., and pressed into Israeli service.

* TranslationConvention: the Russian tank crew speak English, while the Afghans speak Pashtu with English subtitles.
* TactfulTranslation: The Soviet tank commander orders a villager to be placed in front of his tank-track to encourage him to talk. His wife comes running up and is grabbed by the Afghan translator. I can't remember the exact words but it goes something like this:

'''Villager:''' Mujahadeen are all around you! They will kill every one of you!\\

** The tank commander kills the Afghan member of his crew, convinced he's working for the mujahadeen pursuing them.
** Also lampshaded between two crewmembers who don't like each other much.

* YouOweMe: Subverted: A Soviet soldier knocks down an Afghan rebel pointing a jezail musket at a fellow soldier and says, "You owe me." The soldier doesn't bother telling him that the Afghan had actually pulled the trigger a moment before, but the weapon had misfired.
* WaterSourceTampering: [[UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan the Soviet tank crew]] is shown emptying poison canisters into a well while attacking a village. Later on one of the mujahadeen is killed when he drinks from a poisoned well.
** The Soviets' poisoning of every water source they come across ends up biting them in the butt later, as a Soviet helicopter crew unknowingly drinks from a pond the tank crew [[HoistByHisOwnPetard had poured cyanide into earlier]] and all die: before they can radio assistance for the stranded tank.

** The muj have elements of this too, but they're more effective in the long run.

'''''The Beast of War''''' is a 1988 American war movie based on the play ''Nanawatai'' by William Mastrosimone.

!!This film provides examples of:

* BilingualDialogue - Sort of: The muhajadeen and the tank driver manage to improvise a patois around onomatopoeia and the names of weapons
-->''"RPG... Kaboom... tank?"''
-->''"Da! RPG Kaboom tank!"''
* BigNo - Koverchenko [[spoiler: when Sammad is killed.]]
* BittersweetEnding - [[spoiler:the tank commander is killed by the vengeful women of the village, in violation of the mercy their tribal leader had offered. the surviving tank crew flee further into the desert and most likely will die out there. The tank driver - who had allied himself with the rebels to get revenge on the hated tank commander - does not belong with the tribe and leaves with a rescue helicopter toward an uncertain fate.]]
* BoobyTrap - The Soviet tank crew leaves one of their own comrades tied to a rock with a grenade under his head. ("If you want anything, just nod.")

* CaliforniaDoubling - Israel for Afghanistan.
* ChainedToARock - The Russian protagonist is tied to a rock [[AHouseDivided by his own comrades]] and booby-trapped for the Afghan rebels to find. When he's attacked by wild dogs and the grenade slips from under his head, some frantic wriggling is required to let the grenade roll out from under him, over the edge of the rock where it detonates (fortunately driving off the dogs). Convincing the Afghans [[HonorBeforeReason not to cut the throat]] of this served up infidel is another matter (but it helped that he learned the phrases for "mercy" from the Afghan translator beforehand).
* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Rocket Launcher]] - the sole [=RPG=] that the Afghan rebels have left, and the only weapon on hand that can take out the "beast". At the movie's start, it's broken... but the tank driver fixes it, proving his worth to the rebels. [[spoiler:When it comes time to use it, however, it only destroys the tank's gun barrel. It's left to an improvised rock slide by the tribal women to immobilize the tank.]]

* DirtyCommunists - the tank crew aren't especially political - except for the commander, who earned his rank fighting in WorldWarII and beats the Soviet propaganda to the fullest - but they clearly live in a fearful state of screwing up and suffering some Soviet punishment, which only drives them to turn on each other rather than unite as the situation gets worse.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard - The tank commander refuses to trust the Afghan crewmember on anything, which leads to the tank getting lost from the rest of the command. The commander then kills the Afghan crewmember without any proof the man was betraying them to the attacking rebels. This alienates the tank driver, who threatens to report this to their superiors first chance he gets. This leads to the tank commander chaining the driver - the one man who could have reasonably got them back to safety - to a rock as a trap for the pursuing rebels. But the tank driver learned a few words from the Afghan crewmember - such as the phrase for "mercy" that no Afghani can ignore - basically gifting the rebels someone who can stop that tank once and for all...
* HonorBeforeReason - the tank commander insists on driving the tank (and its increasingly frustrated crew) all the way back to their base, even though they are clearly lost in enemy territory and the smart move was to take any relief transport out. When the commander threatens to shoot a helicopter crew that offered to get them back home, you know he's losing it...

* NotSoDifferent - the tank driver and the tribal leader (''khan'') could have been friends in a different reality.

* OnlySaneMan - the newly-promoted ''khan'' of the Afghan tribe pursuing the tank is more sensible and level-headed than the rest of his tribe, especially compared to his reckless and corrupt cousin and to his sister-in-law who's gone mad witnessing her husband's death under the tank's treads.

--> "Sorry, sir. Not much of a war. No Stalingrad. How is it that we're the Nazis this time? How is that? I tried to be a good soldier. But you can't be a good soldier in a rotten war, sir. I want you to live to see them win."

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge - most of the Afghan rebels pursuing the tank are this, especially the tribal women led by the grieving widow whose husband was crushed by the tank's treads. Subverted by the newly appointed tribal leader who stays level-headed for most of the film.

* SmartPeoplePlayChess - the Afghan translator and the tank driver bond over games of chess. The tank commander, already distrustful of the translator, doesn't share their interest in the game and uses it as a reason to distrust the tank driver...
* TanksButNoTanks - the eponymous beast is in fact a Ti-67; a T-54/55 captured by Israel from Egypt or Syria, refitted with new armament, seats, optics et al., and pressed into Israeli service.
* TankGoodness - ...But unlike many other movies, the only thing that makes the tank used and the tank depicted are modifications. For all intents and purposes, it's a T-55.
* TranslationConvention - the Russian tank crew speak English, while the Afghans speak Pashtu with English subtitles.
* TactfulTranslation - The Soviet tank commander orders a villager to be placed in front of his tank-track to encourage him to talk. His wife comes running up and is grabbed by the Afghan translator. I can't remember the exact words but it goes something like this:
-->'''Translator''' (in Pashtu): "Get out of here, woman. This one prefers bullets to words!"
-->'''Wife''' (struggling): "You dirty traitor, tell this Russian pig to let my husband go!"
-->'''Translator''' (in [[TranslationConvention English (Russian)]]): "Sir, this woman respectfully requests you release her husband."
-->'''Tank Commander''': "Ask him where the rebels are."
-->'''Villager''': "Mujahadeen are all around you! They will kill every one of you!"
-->'''Translator''': "He says he doesn't know."
-->The tank commander isn't fooled, and drives over the villager.
* UnfriendlyFire - The tank commander kills the Afghan member of his crew, convinced he's working for the mujahadeen pursuing them. Also lampshaded between two crewmembers who don't like each other much.
-->'''Kaminski''': You better watch your ass, Koverchenko. You know, sometimes Afghan snipers pick off tank drivers.
-->'''Koverchenko''': Sometimes tank drivers pick 'em off first, Kaminski.

* WorldWarII - the tank commander fought in the war as a boy, used in suicidal missions to blow up German tanks. The irony that he is now in ''charge'' of an invading tank is lost on him.
* YouOweMe - Subverted - A Soviet soldier knocks down an Afghan rebel pointing a jezail musket at a fellow soldier and says, "You owe me." The soldier doesn't bother telling him that the Afghan had actually pulled the trigger a moment before, but the weapon had misfired.
* WaterSourceTampering - [[UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan the Soviet tank crew]] is shown emptying poison canisters into a well while attacking a village. Later on one of the mujahadeen is killed when he drinks from a poisoned well.
** The Soviets' poisoning of every water source they come across ends up biting them in the butt later, as a Soviet helicopter crew unknowingly drinks from a pond the tank crew [[HoistByHisOwnPetard had poured cyanide into earlier]] and all die - before they can radio assistance for the stranded tank.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether - as they get lost and as the situation worsens, the tank crew turns on each other rather than unite and trust each other to get themselves back home.
** The muj have elements of this too, but they're more effective in the long run.

* UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan - the setting

During the SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan, a T-55 tank becomes separated from the main body of the army after obliterating an Afghan village. Trapped in a dead-end valley and hunted by vengeful ''muhajadeen'' the crew gradually turn on each other.

* SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan - the setting

* WaterSourceTampering - [[SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan the Soviet tank crew]] is shown emptying poison canisters into a well while attacking a village. Later on one of the mujahadeen is killed when he drinks from a poisoned well.