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

Last year’s “28 Years Later” was Danny Boyle’s return to the bleak and harrowing zombie hellscape he first introduced with 2002’s “28 Days Later”. That world was further explored in 2007’s “28 Weeks Later” and then again in 2025. In the third film, Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland picked things up 28 years after the second outbreak of the Rage Virus, adding a host of new characters and just as many old references that fans of the apocalyptic horror franchise enjoyed.

My issues with “28 Years Later” wasn’t with its presentation. Boyle nailed the grim representation of a collapsed society and the horrors that exist within its remnants. Instead, the problems were with the lack of cohesion in the rushed final act. Even worse was its preposterous and tone-shattering finish that did more to hurt the film than to set the table for another one.

But some of the best sequels have made the movie that came before it better. Unfortunately that’s not the case with “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”. Nia DaCosta takes over directing duties and she proves to have her finger firmly on the pulse of this dark and forbidding world. Unfortunately she’s repeatedly undermined by Garland’s script which keeps her handcuffed to two competing storylines that inevitably merge but not in the most satisfying of ways.

The previous film ends with 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) being ‘rescued’ by a pack of blonde wigged tracksuit satanists with Power Ranger agility. This film picks up their story as the group’s maniacal leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is forcing Spike to fight one of his lackeys to the death, all to earn a spot in his cult. Spike manages to survive and reluctantly joins their ranks. He quickly learns these are violently deranged people who gruesomely torture and “sacrifice” anyone they come across.

Elsewhere, we get more of the previous film’s most fascinating character, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a reclusive former doctor who had dedicated his life to memorializing the victims of the virus through his haunting Bone Temple. But now, when not jamming out to his Duran Duran records, he’s getting high on morphine with an area Alpha he’s named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). This is the same Alpha that was ripping heads off of people in the previous movie. Now he’s the doctor’s test subject and hangout buddy.

Garland’s script bounces back and forth between these two arcs, with neither feeling all that significant to the overall story. Spike’s parade with The Jimmy’s is especially confounding. They’re basically psychopathic killers driven by a blind allegiance to a clownish charlatan. And frankly, they aren’t all that interesting. Even worse, Spike often gets lost in cult’s chaos, leaving his coming-of-age drama stuck on the back burner.

As for DaCosta, she is given the unenviable task of turning Garland’s tuneless story into something meaningful and cohesive. One of her biggest challenges is sorting through the tonal confusion that plagues the majority of the film. Things can switch from grimly serious to comically absurd in a matter of seconds. DaCosta also has to find a way to keep us from asking some glaringly obvious questions. For example, what about the community of survivors on Lindisfarne? What about Spike’s father who was last seen painfully screaming his son’s name. Apparently he wasn’t anguished enough to go out searching.

“The Bone Temple” also seems to forget about the infected (minus Samson). They aren’t the same terrifying threats who kept us on the edges of our seats during the last film. Gone is the nerve-shredding tension of simply walking through the forest. Instead the infected mainly pop up whenever the story needs them to. And when they do, DaCosta simply can’t quite match Boyle’s intensely kinetic style of framing and shooting the action.

Thematically, “The Bone Temple” touches on inhumanity and the nature of evil while single-mindedly skewering the concept of faith. But like much in the movie, its themes are so confined that they don’t really go anywhere. Similarly, the two parallel stories feel restricted to different worlds until finally intersecting at a strangely opportune juncture. We’re left with the sense that very little in the film is moving towards a particular narrative goal. The tonal hopscotch, numbing sadism, and off-balance storytelling only make things worse.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

It’s been too long since the underrated and undervalued Aaron Eckhart has been in a major big screen movie. People may forget, but Eckhart has a pretty stellar résumé, having worked with such heavy-hitting directors as Oliver Stone, Steven Soderbergh, Ron Howard, John Woo, Brian De Palma, Christopher Nolan, and Clint Eastwood. But while he waits for Hollywood to remember his name, Eckhart continues to work, having starred in a run of straight-to-video action thrillers.

His latest thriller is “Thieves Highway”, a feature strengthened by its interesting setting yet frustratingly hampered by a formulaic plot. Written by Travis Mills, the story is set in rural Oklahoma where a sharp spike in livestock theft has cost ranchers and the industry millions of dollars. Eckhart plays the grizzled Frank Bennett, a “cow cop” with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture who tracks and apprehends modern day cattle rustlers.

Frank’s job has gotten tougher of late. Not only are the cattle thefts on the rise, but the rustlers have become more ruthless, as evident by Frank’s friend and fellow lawman (Johnny Messner) being left permanently paralyzed after a recent encounter. Yet Frank pushes on, mainly because he has nothing else to fall back on after the death of his wife. But we see a spark when he bumps into an old acquaintance named Sylvia (Brooke Langton). Unfortunately their undercooked meet-cute doesn’t lead to anything we can’t see coming.

Equally predictable is the fate of Frank’s partner, Bill (Lochlyn Munro). After sharing his plans to retire and spend more time with his family, Bill insists on accompanying Frank in confronting a gang of rustlers outside of town. To no surprise, Bill is gunned down while Frank manages to escape. From there, a stranded yet determined Frank looks for a way to catch the criminals who killed his partner. Meanwhile the gang hunts for Frank, led by Jones (Devon Sawa), a deranged sociopath wielding a World War II Thompson submachine gun.

Most of the film sees director Jesse V. Johnson setting up a game of cat and mouse between the outgunned but resourceful Frank and Jones, along with his colorful band of thugs. Frank is left stranded with no vehicle and no cell service. But he finds an unexpected ally in an off-the-grid hermit named Axsel (Tracy “The D.O.C.” Curry). Elsewhere a plucky waitress named Peggy (Lucy Martin) finds herself playing a meaningful role in the chaos.

“Thieves Highway” moves along at a fairly crisp pace while streamlining its storytelling within a lean 87-minute runtime. At the same time, the movie could have fleshed out and filled out more if given an extra fifteen minutes or so. As it is, “Thieves Highway” travels down a fairly predictable path. Johnson and Mills do some fun maneuvering with their characters and Eckhart is a sturdy enough lead. But the storytelling takes too many shortcuts and the overall lack of suspense keeps us one step ahead.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Throughout his thirty-year career, Joel Edgerton has shown himself to be an incredibly versatile actor. It’s a fact that is highlighted by the sheer array of roles he has taken on, whether in gritty crime films like “Animal Kingdom”, twisted psychological thrillers like “The Gift”, or hushed yet affecting human dramas such as “Loving”. His latest film falls into that latter category. In “Train Dreams”, Edgerton’s performance is quiet and understated yet with deep emotional depth. It’s a tremendous turn.

“Train Dreams” is the sophomore directing effort from Clint Bentley who also wrote the screenplay with his frequent writing partner Greg Kwedar. The two are coming off an Academy Award nomination for “Sing Sing”. Now they’re adapting Denis Johnson’s award-winning work which began as a 2002 short story in The Paris Review before being published as a novella in 2011. The duo bring the heart of Johnson’s story to the screen under Bentley’s assured direction. It results in one of the year’s very best films.

“Train Dreams” is a deeply affecting snapshot of life, with all of its joys and tragedies, as seen through the eyes of one man trying to find his place in a changing world. In one sense it plays like an echo of a bygone era, when the world seemed bigger and taming it came at the expense of men on the margins who tirelessly worked in the background of the rapidly expanding America. It’s also a moving and firmly grounded character study, spanning decades of one such man’s life.

The story opens in the early 20th century during the boom of Western expansion. It follows Robert Grainier (Edgerton), an unremarkable man by the world’s standards who works as a logger in the Pacific Northwest. It’s solitary work done mostly by solitary men – a description that fits Robert well. He’s a hard worker who blends right in with the beautiful yet rugged wilderness. But underneath his burly exterior is a gentle and soft-spoken soul who mostly keeps his thoughts to himself. He’s more of an observer than a talker, yet we learn so much about him through Edgerton’s ability to speak volumes with very few words.

Robert takes a job with a railroad company, building a lengthy trestle bridge over a river gorge. It’s decent money, but it’s a decision he soon regrets. Robert witnesses the senseless killing of a Chinese immigrant co-worker in the name of justice. Despite not having a part, the guilt of not stopping it haunts Robert, prompting him to wrestle with an existential question for the remainder of the movie, “Do the bad things we do follow us in life?” After the job, he leaves the railroad and goes back to logging.

Robert’s solitude is interrupted when he meets and instantly falls for the forthright Gladys (Felicity Jones). In no time, the two end up married. They purchase an acre of land where they build a cabin on the banks of the tranquil Moyie River. Shortly after, they have a baby girl. For Robert, it’s the happiest he has ever been. And for the first time in his life he feels as if he has found his purpose. But just as he would get used to being at home, logging season would roll back around. And the jobs were taking him further and further away from home.

From the elegant opening frames, it’s obvious that Bentley is remarkably in-sync with the story he’s telling and the period he’s recreating. There is a poetic lyricism anchoring his storytelling which patiently progresses with an observant eye and a soul-stirring rhythm. There’s also a fascinating subtlety in Bentley’s handling of things, even later as Robert’s life takes a heart-shattering turn. Bentley maintains a quiet control of his material. And he knows what he has in Edgerton – an actor who can do heavy lifting with a single expression.

There’s also Bentley’s reliance on visual language to convey feeling while also visualizing this very distinct era. The rapturous cinematography of DP Adolpho Veloso utilizes natural lighting and an assortment of striking lens choices to capture evocative compositions that offer more than simple eye-candy. His Malickian view of nature uses the camera to show how big and vast his world is. Yet the same camera gives us rich moments of heartfelt intimacy. And it’s all complimented by Bryce Dressner’s stirring score.

While Edgerton’s sturdy stoicism and gut-wrenching authenticity firmly centers the story, some fine supporting work proves equally valuable. As Gladys, Jones finds the perfect balance between delicate and determined. A terrific Kerry Condon gets a small yet touching role as a U.S. Forestry Service worker. William H. Macy is an absolute scene-stealer playing Arn Peeples, a talkative old-timer who is good with dynamite and at avoiding hard work. And the story is guided by the mellow narration of Will Patton who also did the original audio reading for Johnson’s book.

“Train Dreams” astonishes, both as an unvarnished slice of American history and a contemplation of our intrinsic bond with nature. But it connects most as the soulful birth-to-death odyssey of one solitary man navigating a life of small triumphs and immense tragedies. Clint Bentley has delivered something so deftly crafted and richly organic while Joel Edgerton does his best work in a career full of dynamic performances. They transport us to an impeccably realized period that is ruggedly textured and lived-in. But it’s the deeply human moments between the superbly etched characters that left me speechless and overwhelmed.

VERDICT – 5 STARS

To our great benefit, filmmakers from around the world are still telling inspiring and sobering real-life stories from World War II. The latest is “Truth & Treason” from director Matt Whitaker which tells the touching yet horrifying true story of Helmuth Hübener. At age 17, Hübener was found guilty of high treason by the Nazi courts and sentenced to death. On October 27, 1942, Helmuth Hübener was beheaded by guillotine. His crime – he simply spoke the truth about Hitler’s Nazi regime.

This isn’t the first time Whitaker has shared Hübener’s story. In 2002 he directed a documentary entitled “Truth & Conviction”. Now, with the help of his co-writer Ethan Vincent, Whitaker has turned this moving true story into a narrative feature that takes place roughly over the course of one year. It features a collection of stellar performances and a firm dedication to telling a powerful story with a timeless relevance.

The story is set in 1941 and mostly takes place in Hamburg, Germany. That’s where we meet 16-year-old Helmuth (Ewan Horrocks), a bright and whip-smart young man with a gift for writing. When not hanging out with his three close friends, Karl (Ferdinand McKay), Rudi (Daf Thomas), and Salomon (Nye Occomore), Helmuth is serving in the Hitler Youth as required by Nazi law. He also continues to write which earns him a job as the youngest intern ever hired at Hamburg city hall.

As the world is plunging into war and Germany itself is undergoing radical changes under Adolf Hitler, Helmuth remains oblivious, swallowing the Nazi propaganda as truth and naively going about his life. That is until a series of events unfold that are impossible for the boy to ignore. Soon Helmuth is questioning everything he believed to be true about his country, his church, even his family.

Helmuth’s transformation begins when his big brother Gerhard (Maxim Ays) returns home from the French front having smuggled back a shortwave radio. Despite them being banned by the German authorities, Helmuth listened to the radio faithfully, hearing news broadcasts from the BBC that offered a much different view of Hitler’s aggression.

But Helmuth’s eyes are fully opened when his Jewish friend Salomon is beaten by German soldiers and later taken away in a neighborhood roundup. Being a young man of faith, a troubled Helmuth looks to his church for guidance. But his Bishop (Daniel Betts), who Helmuth has always held in high regard, chooses to stay loyal to the Führer, embracing blind allegiance to an oppressive dictator over the teachings of the One he claims to serve.

Angry and inspired, Helmuth forms his own resistance, wielding truth as his weapon and using his writing skills to spread it across the city. His secret campaign consists of typing out anti-Nazi leaflets on bright red parchment and planting them around the city under the cover of night. He even recruits Rudi and Karl who join his righteous cause despite the heavy consequences if they’re ever caught.

Helmuth remains the centerpiece of this compelling drama, but Whitaker makes time to view the darkening times through several other characters. We see the corruption of a church through Bishop Zander’s willful ignorance. We see different German perspectives through the conflicted eyes of a Gestapo officer (Rupert Evans). We see the impact on families through Helmuth’s own quiet and unassertive mother (Joanna Christie) and his stern Nazi sympathizing step-father (Sean Mahon). Each add layers to Helmuth’s story while also casting a revealing light on the Nazi rule.

Whitaker uses several visual details and historical references to help paint a clearer picture of Germany under the Führer’s iron fist. Consider the door to Bishop Zander’s church officer with a picture of Jesus Christ on one side and a portrait of Adolph Hitler on the other. Or the locked door protecting an archive of banned literature in the basement of city hall. Touches like these leave quite an impression and help define the times. They’re just some of the many pieces that bring this powerfully urgent and profoundly inspiring drama to life. “Truth & Treason” is a movie not be missed.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

After 15 years the Tron series is back on the big screen with “Tron: Ares”. I have to admit, despite being a lover of both science fiction and action, I never fully latched onto the Tron movies. I’ve always admired their premise and strikingly unique visual style. But for whatever reason, neither the 1982 original “Tron” nor 2010’s “Tron: Legacy” pulled me in like other movies from a similar mold.

Next up is “Tron: Ares”, the third installment in this ambitious sci-fi action franchise and a standalone sequel to “Legacy”. It’s directed by Joachim Rønning (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”) and written for the screen by Jesse Wigutow. Together they craft a visually bold and refreshing blockbuster that neither looks nor sounds like anything else on the big screen. Its only drawback is a surprisingly basic story that plays like a franchise’s attempt at reintroducing itself.

Since its beginning, the Tron franchise has transported audiences to a spectacular world called The Grid. It’s a visually stunning digital frontier populated by sentient programs who interact like their human counterparts. It was created by programmer and video game designer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is digitized into The Grid during the first movie. In “Legacy”, Flynn’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) enters The Grid in search of his father.

That brings us to “Ares”, where The Grid has evolved and is now divided into sectors tied to major tech companies. As a result of the corporate rivalry between ENCOM and Dillinger Systems, the wall separating the digital and physical worlds has rapidly dissolved. Much of this due to Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the CEO of Dillinger Systems and the grandson of Ed Dillinger (played by David Warner in the 1982 film). Julian is intent on restoring his grandfather’s legacy at any cost despite the warnings of his concerned mother Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson).

Julian’s latest breakthrough has him able to pull programs from his company’s sector of The Grid into real life (think 3D printing on steroids). State-of-the-art bikes, paragliders, armored vehicles, and his crown jewel, Ares (Jared Leto), a sophisticated and super-advanced AI soldier who is incredibly strong, highly intelligent, and utterly expendable. Julian is anxious to sell his tech to the highest bidder but he has one problem – he can’t keep his programs in the real world for more than 29 minutes.

Enter Eve Kim (Greta Lee), the current CEO of ENCOM who has taken the company’s reins following the death of her sister. Eve is determined to finish what her sister started which includes recovering the Permanence Code created and hidden by Kevin Flynn. The Permanence Code allows digital programs to exist in the real world indefinitely. And Eve knows bad things will happen if Dillinger Systems gets to it first. But Julian has a bigger problem once Ares begins questing his identity and purpose. His desire for independence sets in motion a much bigger conflict than spans both the digital and physical worlds.

Set to a pulse-pounding original soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails and jaw-dropping digital effects custom-made for the big screen, “Tron: Ares” is an exhilarating spectacle that dazzles both audibly and visually. It’s original premise and setting lends to a distinct style that energizes the action and well as the slick aesthetics. The performances also shine led by a spirited Greta Lee. A shrewdly reserved Leto makes Ares a fascinating mystery while Jodie Turner-Smith is fierce as his second in command. Jeff Bridges even returns in a small but welcomed spot.

Surprisingly though, the story is rather simple and underwhelming, with it playing out and finishing in a mostly conventional manner. There are very few highs or lows, and we get no real twists. That said, it does keep the audience constantly moving forward while nicely setting up the movie’s technical strengths – the stunning visuals, the cutting-edge action, and the sinister industrial grind of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score. A deeper narrative could have catapulted it higher. But even as it is, “Tron: Ares” is an electric experience that (as cliché as it may sound) demands to be seen on the big screen. “Tron: Ares” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS