Das Boot in a Tank

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2014)

Not as good as Das Boot of course, but you get glimpses of the same gritty, smelly cramped soldiers who desperately fight their war through a machine they have to be completely in tune with.
This film has been plagued with Saving Private Ryan comparisons and that really is too bad. Those expectations will cause some disappointment. There was a wholesome all American quality to the soldiers in SPR that is nowhere to be seen in this film.
These 2nd Armor guys have been fighting since North Africa and are still trudging along at the spearhead of the Allied advance almost a year after D-Day. If this were a modern conflict, they'd be pulled off the line and would be undergoing PTSD treatment. You wouldn't want to share a cab with any of them, and if you threw them in street clothes you might mistake them for homeless people with mental illnesses.
There is an "End of the War" quality to this film that doesn't match the D-day esprit de corps. Most of the soldiers you see in this movie have already passed their breaking point. This fact adds a realism to these characters you rarely see in movies like this.
Excellent historical realism. Excellently choreographed tank battles. Excellent character performances. Finally, it's about time the WW2 tank corps got their film.
Solid WW2 film, that thankfully isn't Saving Private Ryan part two. Enjoy!