Cast and Crew:  Kevin Reynolds (Director); George Dzundza, Jason Patric, Stephen Baldwin, Erick Avari

What It’s About: After massacring a village, a Soviet tank and its crew attempt to find their way out of a valley while pursued by Afghan guerrillas and dealing with conflict in their own ranks.

Why Watch it Today?:  The Soviets agreed to leave Afghanistan today in 1988.  The Beast of War was one of several Western films set in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, and shared the distinction, along with Rambo III of having been released after the Soviets began their withdrawal.  Unlike one-dimensional action films like Rambo III, The Beast is a well made war film adapted for the screen by William Mastrosimone from his own play Nanawatai.

Where to Get It: Watch it at Amazon, iTunes or Vudu or Netflix (DVD)