Lebanon

R

Released Aug 6, 2010

1h 33m

Drama

War

List

90%

111 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

This tense war film focuses on a group of Israeli soldiers operating a tank in hostile territory during the 1982 conflict in Lebanon. Hindered by tight quarters, limited visibility and stifling heat, the troops inside the tank, including the frustrated Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), begin to quarrel amongst themselves, leaving themselves open to attack by their Lebanese enemies. As their mission -- to clear the area of opposing forces -- progresses, the situation becomes increasingly dire.

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Critics Consensus

A powerful and personal account of war on the front line, writer-director Samuel Maoz takes the viewer inside an Israeli tank to deliver an exhausting, original film.

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Erika D

Amazing portrait of the unexpectedness and uselessness of war narrated through the eyes of rookie soldiers

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/19/23

Full Review

dave s

Other than the opening shot and the brief final scene, Lebanon is set entirely within the confines of a tank. At the beginning of the Lebanon War in 1982, four young Israeli soldiers find themselves trapped in hostile territory, ultimately unable to find their way out and abandoned by ground troops. Featuring some impressive cinematography and lighting, solid direction (the close-ups are often devastating), an effective music score, realistic performances, and some great sound effects, Lebanon is a harrowing journey into the heart of darkness, a film that feels so real that you can almost smell the smoke, taste the grit and feel the sweat.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It is hard to belive "Lebanon" is only Samuel Maoz's sophomore picture, which is, to say the least, one of the most touching, sensitive, and thrillingly original war films ever made.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

As far as war films go, this isn't up to modern day expectations. It's not as gripping or intense as I would hope and certainly can't hold a candle to Fury which is the obvious comparison. There's also a ridiculous anecdote that sounded like one of Jay's boats from the inbetweeners strangely thrown in. A film of great critical repute but I'm not buying it. One good ten minute scene towards the end aside, it just fails to draw the viewer in.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

nefasto r

I really loved "Foxtrot", one of the best film I've seen last year and the main reason to watch this. That is also why I am pretty disappointed from it: I was expecting more. Instead the movie, although with powerful ingredients, never finds an emotional payoff.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although gripping and seemingly authentic, the lack of discipline and cowardice of the tank's crew indicate that if this is a true portrayal it's no surprise the war lasted so long because of their unprofessional soldiering. I have to admit it was quite a feat having the entire film shot inside the tank, rather like an equivalent of Das Boot.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Samuel Maoz

Director

Yoav Donat

Shmulik

Itay Tiran

Assi

Oshri Cohen

Hertzel

Michael Moshonov

Yigal

Zohar Shtrauss

Jamil

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Roger Clarke

Sight & Sound

The director, who admits to having killed a man on his own tour of duty, is painting a portrait of an utterly hopeless, chaotic and morally compromised scenario in which nobody wins.

Jul 10, 2018

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Though not as explicitly focused on memory as Waltz with Bashir, Lebanon's style lends its own dredged-from-memory, expressionistic rawness.

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Jim Schembri

The Age (Australia)

Lebanon certainly qualifies as one of the best films about modern warfare with its unflinching depiction of the trade-off between duty and humanity.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 1, 2010

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

It's painful but eternal. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

One of the best foreign films of 2010.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 13, 2020

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Maoz mixes the claustrophobic anti-war message of the German sub thriller Das Boot with an even more despairing view of young men unraveling under fire.

Jun 12, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

This tense war film focuses on a group of Israeli soldiers operating a tank in hostile territory during the 1982 conflict in Lebanon. Hindered by tight quarters, limited visibility and stifling heat, the troops inside the tank, including the frustrated Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), begin to quarrel amongst themselves, leaving themselves open to attack by their Lebanese enemies. As their mission -- to clear the area of opposing forces -- progresses, the situation becomes increasingly dire.

Director: Samuel Maoz
Producer: Sonja Ewers
Screenwriter: Samuel Maoz
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Ariel Film, Arte France Cinema
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Bloody War Violence|Sexual References|Some Nudity)
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: Hebrew
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 6, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $367.8K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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