Any time someone mentions Dog Soldiers and Jacob’s Ladder in the same sentence when describing a film, you’ve piqued my interest. Two of my favourite films of all time, mashed together in one film? I’m definitely listening. Well, that’s what’s being floated around for Nick Gillespie’s Tank 432, aka Belly Of The Bulldog. The film was recently screened at this year’s Fantasia, and is currently on the slate for Bruce Campbell’s Horror Fest this August. So, does this boast of being a blend of two well-liked films actually ring true for Gillespie?
A group of mercenaries led by Smith (Gordon Kennedy) with their “cargo” in tow emerge from a wooded area looking for a way to escape their not-far-behind pursuers. The group finds an abandoned farm with a jeep, but unfortunately the vehicle is out of commission. As a bonus, they find a woman (Alex Rose March) locked in a shipping container. They also find a pile of headless bodies that turn out to be the merc team that was originally behind them. With their pursuers closing in, the group manage to scramble into a nearby abandoned “bulldog” tank. From there, the team is assaulted by something on the outside, but also something from within their own minds.
Like Jacob’s Ladder, the paranoia in Tank 432 is a big aspect of the film. With the group trapped in the tank, with only vague assumptions left up to the audience as to what the merc team is doing there, or why certain happenstances have occurred, Gillespie has sown the seeds that seem ripe for exploiting our protagonists’ predicament. Their actions are believable (such as members of the team questioning Smith about his notebook that he’s constantly writing in), as is their frustration of being locked in the tank, unable to get it started, lack of info, and so on. The enemy is always seen from far off, with only a silhouette of someone (or something) that appears unnatural. Of course, this leads to the question of whether what they’re seeing and hearing is real or imagined. Gillespie is also wise to have quiet moments to let the audience cool down to avoid wearing out the tension.
While the overall acting quality is quite good, the main highlights are Rupert Evans as our principal protagonist in Reeves, and Michael Smiley as the agitative Capper. Evans plays the level-headed Everyman with ease (in between bouts of barfing and craving water), and is subsequently easier to gravitate towards than his constantly-swearing, gung-ho compatriots. Smiley, on the other hand, plays it up in his role with goading dialogue and almost over-the-top delight. It seriously reminded me of Sean Pertwee’s role in Dog Soldiers. He disappears after the first act, but comes back later in a nice surprise. Kennedy does well as squad leader Smith, but I didn’t buy his constant barking of orders and swearing. It did fit in when it came time for the paranoia about his notes, since there was an air of distrust.
In spite of Gillespie’s efforts to keep the paranoia high, there are moments when the cooldown for the tension backfires. The awkward handling of the quiet moments causes the film to slow to a crawl, with too-frequent naps being the signal to pull the tension back. Frustrating things even more is that while the audience is purposely kept in the dark about the outside threat for, again, tension. While that usually works, there’s no real direct action that gives the audience a point to base the level of threat towards the group. In Dog Soldiers, you actually had the werewolves attacking the group, with the potential threat of them coming back. In Tank 432, there’s no such threat, turning the entire thing into a case of people becoming stir-crazy because the hatch is jammed, with no real outside danger. Finally, and I understand why Gillespie initially did this, but outside of the mercs, there’s not much going on in the character development of the prisoners or the mysterious woman. Yeah, it’s made into a plot point, but when the film finally ends, we’re still left with questions and no payoff.
Tank 432 jumps on the idea of paranoia and dishes it out wholeheartedly. However, the quiet moments in between the paranoia pulls the film down, leading to the audience to become bored. The lack of a stated real direct threat also kills the tension, leaving the paranoia angle to carry things once it’s time for the quiet moments to wake up. The acting is largely on-point, and Smiley’s performance is standout. However, it’s still not enough to keep you feeling wholly satisfied once the film ends. Tank 432 is certainly a nice effort, but it’s not as gripping as it should be.