Lebanon (2009)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

A Brilliant Conflict

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

IAM AN ANTI-WAR MOVIE IAM AN ANTI-WAR MOVIE IAM AN ANTI-WAR MOVIE Well, the idea, the plot and setting had potential but failed - an anti-war-movie with (of course) good intentions but doing too many things wrong - some examples: the tank crew is able to hear the talking outside, the gunner is most of the time just looking in the close surroundings, (his aiming device is used as the camera- perspective for the outside) and he looks a lot into faces and dead bodies in close- ups (looong shots), which a real tank gunner who wants to stay alive would never do - in combination with ground troops he would look out for enemies in the mid- to the far range and not in close range (many times - even with zoom - the gunner just looks some yards ahead, which is really annoying because totally unrealistic: e.g. he watches the BACK of his comrades outside and how they proceed instead of watching the surroundings - therefore the idea of getting the outside world only through the perspectives of the gunner, driver devices etc. backfires heavily). Many pictures just scream (esp. the close-up into all those pain-torn faces - the woman, at least the director took the chance to show us some boobs ;)) - I am an anti-war movie, war is bad, war is cruel, lalala, to an extent that it is just getting ridiculous. Ofc a movie can or should have some message but maybe it shouldn't scream it out so loud one gets deaf by it (to the message). On top we get bored by watching the tank-crew endless debating and arguing over and over (soap-opera like). Verdict: at most an one-timer but imo far too artificial and unbelievable to be a good (anti-)war movie and a waste of a potentially good story/idea. Some directors should maybe watch a lot of the stuff on YouTube troopers in real combat publish from their helm-cams etc., before doing such an endeavor, or at least analyze the best movies of the genre. A movie the p.c.-crowd ofc tends to celebrate and decorate with awards. Myself had to use the last 20 minutes the skip button generously just to get the movie finished.

I don't even have to get to the story, much less the themes or worry about whether it's too blatantly anti-war, pro-Israeli or whatever your politics say. Ignore that. No, it just seems so very, very fake. Like it's an elaborate stage production. Such that I'd have been happier if it was obviously so. If the exterior scenes were all similarly staged it would have worked.What I mean is not minor gripes about detail: what tank their in, the amount of room, not wearing helmets, the tank being lower than a person, etc. Those are annoying, but not critical. No, I mean how the tank looks like a set. Different parts move, and they wobble like crew is behind it pushing it. Smoke, from starting or explosions, looks like someone off-stage puffed some smoke in. The grime is clearly not from action seen in the movie, but is painted on so is on the back of boxes and around corners and too consistent. It doesn't match much of the dialog or implication that they are in this indestructible device. Of course it breaks down over the course of the film: it's made of plywood and paint. This was only matched by the ham-handed characterizations, and the inexplicable inability of the crew to act human. Even before the first engagement (where it's like the gunner, then everyone, is being stalked by a horror-movie killer) they act like tween schoolgirls who don't want to clean their room. Forget soldiers, soldiers trained enough to operate a tank, what /adults/ act like this? Vastly, vastly believable, so impossible for me to understand or care about anything, or anyone in it.

ihrtfilms did a lovely job reviewing this film and I agree with every word. MY additional comments are based on the fact that I am a VERY nit-picky person when watching a film. I drive people nuts when I point out faults in this or that. With that being said, I can SEE where some might find fault with some of the particular errors in this film (i.e. the lack of helmets) but to be truthful, though I am ONE OF THEM, I was so caught up in the intensity of this film, I didn't even notice the irregularities.This film IS intense and very well acted. I literally was on the edge of the couch I usually lay back on while watching movies and it takes a fair amount to get me on that edge.Lebanon may not be perfect, but it's perfectly good. I could find no fault with it and didn't even try. It sucks you in from the minute it starts. The very fact that you NEVER LEAVE THE TANK is amazing. If you are even remotely claustrophobic, maybe you shouldn't watch this movie. You might be in your own home in a spacious room with windows and everything, but once you get into this movie, you feel like you're with the crew and they won't let you out until the end.I won't say more primarily because, as simple as the story line is, it's a complex movie and to say much, would say TOO much.

As a former gunner and commander of tanks in the Canadian Forces I find this movie to be laughable! Let me tell you how it would really work! The tank crew is so highly trained that when orders to fire are received there is no thought involved! The sight picture is obtained and the main gun is fired! If by some reason other than gun malfunction, you refused to fire and placed your tank crew or anyone else at jeopardy, they would haul you out of the tank by your hair and at worst beat the crap out you! And at the very least they would turn you over to the Military Police for court martial, which I assure you would be equal to prison time and kicked out of the forces in disgrace! Also the tank turret is so small there is no room for casualties or prisoners so that is a bit of BS. Further the ready load ammunition for a typical tank is around 20 rounds with another 20 to 30 rounds stored in other ammo bins around the tank, so having only nine rounds avail is crazy and could put your lives in danger! The squabbling and philosophizing would not occur with a highly trained tank crew! To compare this laughable attempt at the portraying of a tank crew to the one of the most definitive and outstanding movies of any war every produced "Daz Boot" is totally laughable and downright stupid! I am glad I did not pay anything to see this pile of you know what and seen it on my "On Demand" channels!