By Ben Bussey
When the most prominent words in the PR of a new release are ‘from executive producer Ben Wheatley,’ two key thoughts immediately come to mind: firstly, it’s a shame that writer-director Nick Gillespie doesn’t get full credit for his own work (although he’s hardly the first director to be overshadowed by an exec producer credit; Quentin Tarantino’s name was all over the publicity for Roger Avary’s Killing Zoe, as was Edgar Wright’s on Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block). Secondly, the emphasis on Wheatley, and his most celebrated movies Kill List and High Rise (the latter of which I must admit I haven’t seen yet, if it matters), would seem to imply that this new film will attempt an unconventional blend of genres, with a vaguely abstract, surreal approach which leaves the viewer questioning what they just saw. With this in mind, I suppose it’s fair to say that Tank 432 (originally entitled Belly of the Bulldog) is a Wheatley-esque work – and much like Wheatley’s films, it seems specifically designed to divide opinion.
A small army unit is making its way across rural terrain, two hostages in two. Among their number are the anxiety-ridden Reeves (Rupert Evans), the bullish commander Smith (Gordon Kennedy), and Capper (Michael Smiley), who has already sustained a nasty leg injury. Exactly where the soldiers are, and why they’re there isn’t clear – but they’re all very much on edge, constantly on the lookout for an enemy that they know is hot on their trail. Anxious to find safety, they stumble across a seemingly abandoned tank in the middle of a field, and seeing little alternative they squeeze inside. This soon turns out to have been probably an even worse idea than remaining out in the open, as the door jams and they find themselves trapped in the tight space. But as if the intense claustrophobia and lack of personal space isn’t enough, revelations as to the truth behind their mission will soon fry what little remains of everyone’s sanity.
This is one of those awkward instances when there’s ostensibly plenty to recommend the film, yet I find myself struggling to give it a recommendation. It’s a nice idea, and for the most part well-made, but all in Tank 432 just left me cold. A key reason for that, I think, is its over-dependence on playing the mystery card. For at least the first half of the film, almost nothing is explained about the soldiers and their mission, and while the intent may have been to promote a sense of intrigue, it may instead wind up testing the viewer’s patience – particularly if you figure out (and/or guess) the essentials of the final revelation early on. As we learned from M Night Shyamalan’s meteoric fall from grace, building a film around a big smart-arse climactic twist is liable to inspire more contempt than praise. Don’t get me wrong; Gillespie’s work here doesn’t come off anywhere near that smug and self-important. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling the whole endeavour to be a bit of a carrot-dangle.
Having said all that, I’ve no doubt other viewers may take more from Tank 432 than I did. It may strike me as a little too clever-clever for its own good, but there’s certainly no denying that it doesn’t play safe or replicate a set-up we’ve seen many times before. This kind of bold, imaginative genre-bending is something to be encouraged, I think, and it’s encouraging to see a lot of this going on in the UK. The cast all do well, and it’s certainly a handsome-looking film, making smart use of clearly limited funds and locations. I remain curious to see where Nick Gillespie goes from here, as on this evidence he’s clearly a filmmaker with potential, but in this particular instance I was not won over.
Tank 432 is out on DVD and digital on 22nd August, from Kaleidoscope.