The Beast (aka The Beast of War) is about a Soviet T-62 tank lost in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1981. The film was released in 1988. It was based on a show by William Mastrosimone entitled Nanawatai. It was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who later directed Waterworld. It starred George Dzundza, Jason Patric and Steven Baldwin. A Soviet armored unit in Afghanistan helps "clear" a village, destroying it. One of the tanks, led by the ruthless commander Daskal, orders to crush a captured prisoner under the steps of the tank. Leaving the village, Daskal's tank becomes separated from his unit and is soon lost. Mujahadeen warriors, led by the murdered prisoner Taj's brother, discover the lost tank and see an opportunity to take revenge. Knowing that the tank is in a valley with only one exit, they begin tracking it, intending to use a captured RPG to attack it. Some women from the village also follow with captured grenades in their hands. The tank's crew consists of four Soviets and one Afghan. As night falls and the crew sets up camp, Afghan tank crewman Samad teaches the tank driver, Konstantin Koverchenko, the basic principles of Pashtunwali, the code of honor of the Pashtun people: melmastia (hospitality) , badal (revenge) and nanawatai, which requires that even an enemy be granted refuge if he asks for it. We then see that Commander Daskal, called "Tank Boy" during the Great Patriotic War for destroying a number of German tanks in the Battle of Stalingrad, is not only ruthless towards the enemy, but also towards his own men. He despises Samad and kills him on the pretext of suspecting him as a traitor. After Konstantin threatens to turn Daskal in for the murder, Daskal orders the other two crew members to tie Konstantin to a rock, with a grenade to serve as a booby trap for the Mujahadeen. Some wild dogs attack him and as Konstantin tries to kick them, the grenade rolls off the rock and explodes, killing one dog but leaving Konstantin unharmed. The sound, however, attracts the group of Afghan women. They begin to stone him and are soon joined by the mujahideen. Konstantin is saved when he remembers Samad's lesson on "nanawatai", the shrine. He shouts the word and the mujahideen are forced to take him with them. They camp in a cave, feed him and ask him to fix the broken RPG.