Columbia Pictures does deserve some credit for producing this . A Red Army tank crew versus mujahedeen in Afghanistan which wasn't a common story idea in 1980s Hollywood . This was a period where Chuck , Sly and Arnie were slaughtering commies in their millions and the world was holding their breath that it wasn't giving the US President ideas . There was also another type of film prolific in those days and that was the Vietnam ( Anti ) War Film . I guess by that time Columbia were aware of the market being saturated by GIs fighting against the Vietnamese and each other so decided to do something a little different with an anti war film
Make no mistake THE BEAST is an anti-war film which points out the absurdity of conflict . It's important to remember this otherwise you'll be confused and see it as an entirely implausible story . Some things might seem ridiculous such as the Soviet " good guy " being welcomed in to the fold of the mujahedeen or the tank commander turning down the chance of a helicopter ride home but that's the whole point of the subtext - it's a profound statement on the absurdity of man vs man no matter where it's set or when it's set
Make no mistake THE BEAST is an anti-war film which points out the absurdity of conflict . It's important to remember this otherwise you'll be confused and see it as an entirely implausible story . Some things might seem ridiculous such as the Soviet " good guy " being welcomed in to the fold of the mujahedeen or the tank commander turning down the chance of a helicopter ride home but that's the whole point of the subtext - it's a profound statement on the absurdity of man vs man no matter where it's set or when it's set