The Beast

The Beast is a 1988 American war film directed by Kevin Reynolds and written by William Mastrosimone, based on his play Nənawā́te. The film stars Jason Patric, George Dzundza, Steven Bauer, Stephen Baldwin, Don Harvey, and Erick Avari. It follows the crew of a Soviet T-55 tank who become lost during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, leading to a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains. Character George Dzundza plays Daskal, the tyrannical commander of the tank crew. The film explores the conflict and the code of honour known as Pashtunwali, as embodied by the Afghan crewman Samad (Erick Avari) who educates the reluctant tank driver Konstantin Koverchenko (Jason Patric) about its principles.