T-34

Eastern Front tank action, drama, risk and survival

In late 1941 a Red Army tank crew defends Moscow, but is captured. At a POW camp in summer, 1944, they are given a T-34 fresh from the battlefield to be used to train German soldiers in maneuvers where a daring plan of escape is hatched and implemented. Alexander Petrov plays the tank commander, Vinzenz Kiefer the Nazi Colonel and Irina Starshenbaum an interpreter.

"T-34" (2018) is a well done Russian WW2 flick that naturally focuses on the Eastern Front. It’s thankfully not one-dimensional: The opening act features a tank battle at a village in the winter whereas the second act switches to a German POW camp in the warmer months, which paves the way for the adventurous escape and showdown. The creators didn’t fail to include human interest to hook the viewer. Sure, some unlikely elements are thrown in for dramatic purposes (like the Colonel recognizing the tank commander at the camp), so what else is new?

Anyone who likes WW2 flicks like “Fury” (2014), “Cross of Iron” (1977), "Dear Elza!" (2014), "Enemy at the Gates" (2001) and “Warsaw ’44” (2014) should appreciate this one.

There are three versions of the film: 1 hr 53 min, 2 hr 19 min and 3 hr (I saw the short rendition). It was shot at Kaluga Region, Russia (Strelkovka Village), and the Czech Republic. English subtitles are supplied.

GRADE: B+/A-