Reviews

And I say that because, as with the previous Graham helo flick "Birds of Prey", there is a lot of down-to-earth, analog, seat-of-the-pants, visceral stunt flying which today would have the Screen Actors' Guild, the FAA, OSHA, CPSC, the ACLU and probably the ASPCA pitching red-faced conniptions. Helos flying under bridges downtown, trying for loops around canyon arch-bridge midspans, skidding along downtown streets between the buildings, and so on. Even for '70s and '80s standards, it was, to put it mildly, gutsy; nowadays, they'd call it "crazy", "treacherous" or "illegal as hell", and much of the production budget would be lost on fines and bail. But it all made the movie, despite the slightly-cheesy '40s-style plot laced with tension between the exes who must work together to fend off the bad guy.

To that end, I doubt, if they'd've used John Wayne as "Sam", he would've used the word "horny" as the late, great Larry Hagman did...and no gal would dare slap The Duke, real-life or scripted. So, there's Lar, with a track record of playing sleazy, easy JR Ewing to pull it off. And he takes it on the chin--er, cheek. But the acting in this film pales in comparison to the flying; to "watch for the acting" would be like watching "Baywatch" to watch David Hasselhoff act. Face it. "We know where y'all live, guys, and what grabs ya", saith Hollywood. Or its rogue element which brought us this fine piece of aviation gold, as they did with David Janssen in "Birds of Prey" in 1973.

Sometimes, the good stuff flies well under the radar of the Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe folk. This and its prequel are two major examples. True sleepers which don't put you to sleep. Enjoy.

My son found this movie, by serendipitous accident, in the $5.50 bin at Wal*Mart in vast abundance; Since viewing it, I've bought ten copies and given them to friends as gifts; Nine out of ten found it 'WOW!', and one 'really liked it'. It is simply that good.

Kevin Reynolds, along with the cast he 'enlisted' for this movie, has done what very few others in Hollywood have: Glued their viewer's butts firmly to their seats. In spite of trivial critique fielded, the movie is nonetheless a riveting, tachycardia-inspiring, sweat-inducing commentary of the inhumanities of war and the torment it invokes upon all involved. Dzundza, Patric and Bauer, although lesser-known among the 'gods' of Hollywood and together with a cast of very capable unknowns, have conspired to make a high-calibre testament to the evil of war and the resiliency of life and spirit in war's midst.

Others may fault the movie as they will: Soviet tankers with American accents, incorrect tank, inaccurate terminology, made in Israel, et al; The plot outshines all that. There is nothing thin about it. Consequently, I cannot recommend this film enough. You will not be sorry if you decide to buy this DVD; However, if you like the soundtrack (Tastefully done by Mark Isham), good luck finding it in CD, especially new. It's been long out of print and very rare, commanding prices often over $100, mint (I got mine for $50, luckily! Check eBay, keywords: 'beast isham soundtrack'). "The Beast" (Titled "The Beast Of War" overseas) is a MUST for any collection!

(EDIT) fairviewed's review comment of Osama bin Ladin being trained by the US is unfounded and purely conjecture. There is no evidence to support the claim, and should thus be regarded as urban legend.