T-34 (2018)

Directed by: Aleksey Sidorov | 128 minutes | action, war | Actors: Alexander Petrov, Irina Starshenbaum, Viktor Dobronravov, Vinzenz Kiefer, Yuriy Borisov, Anton Bogdanov, Artur Sopelnik, Pyotr Skvortsov, Semyon Treskunov, Guram Bablishvili, Danila Rassomakhin, Johshua Grothe, Dirc Simpson Art, Wolfgang By Cerny,

Russian war films do not often reach the Western video market. Why that is so is unclear. Dutch distributors probably do not find the productions interesting enough or there is another objection behind it. When a Russian film appears in the film landscape, it is often strongly reacted in various online forums. Something that often happens on social media, but that aside. Anyway, with ‘T-34’ terms such as ‘propaganda’ and ‘communist pamphlet’ came up again. The online community quickly has a verdict ready. But what makes a Russian film supposedly propaganda, while an American film easily gets away with the same message? Patriotism and self-sacrifice are okay in a Hollywood film, while a Russian production with the same theme is set aside as a political manifesto. Separate.

Based on true events (read: heavily romanticized) ‘T-34’ revolves around Second Lieutenant Ivushkin (Alexander Petrov). This new-fangled soldier was sent directly to the front in 1941. His mission: with a T-34 tank, he must stop a dozen German Wehrmacht tanks and prevent them from destroying a nearby village. This impossible task results in the imprisonment of Ivushkin. In 1944 this wayward Russian tries to escape from the concentration camp where he spends his days.

With a little imagination you can see this film as the Russian version of ‘Fury’. The difference between the two films is that the Russian version is distinctly ‘glossier’ than its American counterpart. The budget was also smaller, resulting in somewhat cheap-looking (read: dated) CGI. Some action scenes look rather fake and take you out of the story. The acting is decent and the soundtrack is also okay. ‘T-34’ impresses at the moments when the camera is close to the characters when they are in the tank. It results in intense moments in which it seems that you are in the war vehicle yourself. Unfortunately, there are cheap computer tricks and too long playing time. This movie could have been about twenty minutes shorter. The big advantage of a Russian war film is that you don’t know which character (read: big star) will survive.