Product Details

• Actors: James Garner, Shirley Jones, C. Thomas Howell, Mark Herrier, Sandy Ward
• Directors: Marvin J. Chomsky
• Writers: Dan Gordon
• Producers: Irwin Yablans, Richard McWhorter
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Gaiam, Inc.
• VHS Release Date: May 16, 1996
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304109008
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,030 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This enjoyable nonsense stars James Garner as a career military man (and private owner of a Sherman tank) who ends up on the wrong side of a redneck sheriff (G.D. Spradlin) by interfering in a bullying deputy's treatment of a prostitute. The corrupt lawman gets his revenge by arresting Garner's teenage son (C. Thomas Howell) on a phony drug charge and locking him away on a brutal prison farm. After taking some lumps there, the poor kid's dad decides to haul out his prized tank and do a little rearranging of the terrain. While the plot sounds like some antiauthority potboiler from the early '70s and the characters are all stick figures, Garner's golden warmth gives this movie some nice dimension. Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky (Victory at Entebbe). --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never hack off a Sgt. Maj., especially one with his own tank, May 17, 2005

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tank (DVD)

This film will never be remembered as great cinematic art. It will never ever be remembered as great comedy. As drama, it is fairly hokey. That doesn't matter, though. It is fun.

The story is of a Sergeant Major who accepts his last post outside a small southern town. This SGM, however has his own Sherman tank that he and his son restored. The problem is that the town and the entire county is run by a corrupt sherrif who is into liquor, prostitution and bribery. The SGM makes the mistake of hacking of this sherrif so the sherrif arrests the son on a bogus drug charge and sends him to a hellhole of a prison camp. It seems that nothing the SGM can do will help his son so he takes matters into his own hands, fires up the tank and rides to the rescue. From there, is is a chase to the state line.

Most of the elements of this movie are extremely predictable. Stereotypes abound. You almost know what is going to happen before it happens. That does not detract too much from the fun of seeing it happen, though. Some of the antics are so patently absurd as to be unworkable but they work in this movie, whether or not they would ever work in the real world. Its just silly fun.

James Garner is extremely likable as the sarge. This is by no means his greatest work but it looks like it was fun to make. Shirley Jones plays his wife and C. Thomas Howell is the wronged kid. So too are their performances less that stellar but they get the job done.

The good guys win. So does the viewer. Don't expect high art, just the fairly frequent laugh.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tank, January 9, 2005

By 

Joseph K. Bagdonas (Suburbs of Chicago) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tank (DVD)

I really enjoy the 'movie'. I have had it on VHS for years, waiting for it to come out on DVD, to replace the VHS copy I have. However if you previously purchased the first release from Goodtimes Home Video, DON'T waste your money on this 'so-called' newer release.

Other than the picture on the box, this 'newer' release from Universal is no different than the original release of this title from Goodtimes Home Video!

The Product Details 'fails' to mention that this Universal release in the Full Frame Format, just like the version from Goodtimes Home Video. It also 'fails' to state that the Universal release is in 'Mono' just as the release from Goodtimes Home Video. So what's the difference? Both are Full Frame, both are in Mono, which the Product Description fails to mention. The only difference is the picture on the box!

In one of the reviews I read, it stated, "This movie was previously avalable from Goodtimes Home Video in Full Screen Format. As this release is from Universal Studios we can only hope it will be released in it's Original Aspect Ratio."

Well it wasn't! And again, the Product description failed to state this! Also the new release from Universal, just as the release from Goodtimes Home Video, didn't add any additional menu features included on the DVD. So again, what is the difference? They are the same exact DVD, packaged in two different boxes, with the exception that the Goodtimes release is in the 'snap' type box and the Universal is in the 'clamshell' type box.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars James Garner delivers a typically excellent performance, November 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tank [VHS] (VHS Tape)

James Garner's usual excellent performance makes the difference in this otherwise predictable movie. One of the all-time great movie lines: "I do believe I've got you covered." Definitely worth watching once; teenagers will watch this one again and again.