Dennis Gansel combines shrewd direction with impressive technical savvy in “The Tank”, a gripping German war thriller that carves out its own World War II story while calling back to such classics as “Sahara”, “Das Boot”, and even “Apocalypse Now”. It’s a movie that repeatedly steers you towards believing it’s one thing, only to surprise you by taking itself in a number of unexpected directions.

Set in 1943, “The Tank” (originally titled “Der Tiger”) begins with a nerve-racking action sequence on a bridge over the Dnieper River in what is now Ukraine. As the German army is being pushed back by Russian forces, Lieutenant Gerkens (David Schütter) leads a five-man Tiger tank crew in defending the bridge. Shells detonate around them and fire rains down from above as the five anxious soldiers huddle in their cramped iron compartment. It’s a harrowing scene that gives us a glimpse of what Gansel has in store for us, both narratively and visually.

After the bridge battle, Gerkens is immediately given new orders. He and his crew are tasked with covertly locating and extracting the mysterious Lieutenant Colonel von Hardenburg, a German officer believed to be hiding in a bunker behind enemy lines. Little is known about the dangers they’ll face along the way. And even less is known about the man they are to retrieve.

Together with his driver, Helmut (Leonard Kunz), his machine gunner, Weller (Laurence Rupp), his radio operator, Keilig (Sebastian Urzendowsky), and his young reloader, Michel (Yoran Leicher), Gerken and his crew set out on their perilous mission. Their treacherous trek over No Man’s Land takes them across ominous fields, into quiet forests littered with dead bodies, and through the haunting remains of bombed out towns. These remnants of war emphasize its senselessness which ends up being one of the film’s central themes.

While there is no shortage of tension-soaked action, “The Tank” is as much interested in the psychological pressure as it is large-scale spectacle. Gansel crafts several nail-biting scenes that pit the crew against an array of threats, from land mines to Russian tank hunters. But the farther they travel, the more it begins to feel like a one-may mission. And the more they’re forced to reckon with feelings of guilt and complicity that they’ve attempted to bury throughout the war.

The balance between the wartime action and the psychological isn’t just captured by Gansel’s sharp direction. It’s also found in the stunning cinematography of Carlo Jelavic. He shrewdly oscillates between the cramped confines of the tank’s interior, affecting character closeups, and evocative landscapes, all vividly detailed, atmospheric, and suggestive. The sound design is equally effective in channeling the sheer sense of dread and the deeper emotional stakes. It’s a technical gem.

“The Tank” delivers all kinds of wartime thrills while avoiding the common action movie trappings. It doesn’t shy away from the atrocities of war nor does it exploit them. And while it conveys the bond of brotherhood among the crew, there isn’t an ounce of sentimentality in the storytelling. It’s as authentic as it is riveting. Overall, “The Tank” follows a unique narrative path marked by clever foreshadowing and intriguing moral reflections, finishing up with a bold final act that immediately calls for a second viewing.

VERDICT – 4 STARS