The Tank
The German crew of a Tiger tank is given orders to penetrate enemy lines in Dennis Gansel’s tense, authentic WWII thriller.
Sitting in a tin can
Image courtesy of Amazon Media.
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
In light of the current geopolitical situation, it’s disquieting to watch a WWII drama in which the Russians are the enemy. And the Germans are killing them. But there are more layers to Dennis Gansel’s taut, intimate war film, in which the Germans are still held to account for their sins. Nonetheless, the German five-man crew of the eponymous Tiger tank are a close-knit crew of young men who are following orders and want nothing more than to return to their Freundinnen in one piece. Their leader, Lt. Philip Gerkens (a charismatic David Schütter), is following orders, too, is a good leader who genuinely cares for his men and wants to be the best that he can be. And in this instance, the Russians are the foe.
Much like the German masterpiece Das Boot (1981), this is the story of the camaraderie of young Germen men trapped in a tight, claustrophobic space who must learn to cooperate in order to stay alive. Interestingly, it was Gansel who was entrusted with directing eleven episodes of the TV spin-off of Das Boot (2022-2023). Here, considering the versatile capabilities of the tank, the film is quite the eye-opener, not least in a scene when the Tiger appears to be a submersible vehicle and is forced to hide at the bottom of a river, while Russian tanks circle above and around. The Russians themselves are depicted as silent ghosts, hidden behind reinforced steel armour, and are only visible when their bodies have been inelegantly strewn across the ground.
After a gut-swivelling start, Gerkens’s crew are entrusted with a new mission in which to penetrate deep behind enemy lines in order to locate a certain Lt. Col. von Hardenburg, a sort of Colonel Kurtz figure who may have gone rogue. And so it is a journey into the heart of darkness as these confused, frightened figures trundle through the forests of Russia east of Stalingrad on an apparent mission of no return. What Gansel achieves so well is the realism of his piece as Gerkens guides his men across the hazards of No Man’s Land, teaching them how to avoid mines and various ingenious booby traps, some of which have been planted by their own side. And as we become privy to their bawdy banter and reminiscences, it is hard not to care for these committed soldiers, bonded by a common fear of death. And there’s suspense aplenty, until the final surreal lap when the film takes a giant leap of trust and betrays the trust that we have invested in the lives of these men. Until then it was a more than serviceable, gripping, well-made war film with a totally fresh angle.
Cast: David Schütter, Leonard Kunz, Yoran Leicher, Laurence Rupp, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Tilman Strauss, André Hennicke.
Dir Dennis Gansel, Pro Marco Beckmann, Frank Kusche and Dan Maag, Screenplay Dennis Gansel and Colin Teevan, Ph Carlo Jelavic, Pro Des Nick Palmer, Ed Benjamin Kaubisch, Music Heiko Maile, Costumes Anke Winckler, Sound Peter Hilcansky.
Amazon MGM Studios/Pantaleon Films-Amazon Media.
117 mins. Germany. 2025. UK and US Rel: 2 January 2026. Cert. 15.
