I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This movie begins with an Army Command Sergeant Major named "Zack Carey" (James Garner) relocating to a new assignment somewhere in Georgia. What makes Zack so unusual is that during the course of his military career he has managed to build a Sherman tank from scratch and he is taking it with him to his new post. Although this is his last tour of duty he soon discovers that he is not destined to retire in peace as a brawl at a nightclub puts him and his entire family in the sights of an evil law enforcement official by the name of "Sheriff Buelton" (G. D. Spradlin). However, what Sheriff Buelton fails to take into account is that, even though he has a great deal of authority in the local area, it isn't wise to bully a man like like CSM Carey too far--especially when he has a Sherman tank at his disposal. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, even though this picture was a minor success when it first came out, having seen it again just recently I must admit that the film itself is rather uneven and hasn't improved with age. Yet despite its obvious flaws, it's still entertaining to a certain degree and because of that I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This is an old fashion good vs. evil movie that is fun. Movies don't always have to have some heavy deep plot. Sometimes it's great to watch a movie that is fun that you can cheer, and this is one of them. It's now over 20 years old, but it still holds up as a fun movies to watch and enjoy.A big surprise will be to many is to see James Cormwell playing a simple deputy sheriff, and what Command Sergeant Major Carey does to him.James Gardner, as always, carries the film very well. He is a very believable CSM, and Shirley Jones has a military wife down pat. A young C. Thomas Howell does a good job too as a military son. G.D. Spradlin plays the very mean Sheriff that is very easy to hate. And Jenilee Harrison did this movie at the same time she began a two year run on Dallas, and she looks great in this movie. The whole cast together works great for this movie, and it's great for the whole family.

***SPOILERS - LIKE I'M REALLY GONNA RUIN IT FOR YA!***When I first started seeing posters for this film in the movie theatres, I thought all my dreams had come true. A movie about a tank! ALL about a tank! It'll crush cars and blow things up!I went into the theatre on opening night expecting just that, and that's just what I got. At nine years of age, plot and acting didn't mean a whole lot to me - not when a Sherman tank was running over cop cars, anyway.Now, I can see this film for what it is: a paper-thin plot, mostly-wooden acting (Except for G.D. Spradlin chewing the scenery), and plot holes you could, well, drive a tank through. But what the hell? It's a fun little movie, with plenty of tankish action to keep armor enthusiasts like me interested, even if the rest of the story IS so stupid it makes me want to retch.

Garner's performance and quiet, comic authority carry this otherwise dull film about a sergeant major who owns his own Sherman battle tank, which he uses to rescue for son from the clutches of a redneck sheriff.