THE BATTLE OF THE LAST PANZER is one of those late '60s Italian WW2 films that doesn't have much going for it. The budget is so low here that most of the costumes are wrong and authenticity seems to have been long forgotten about. The story is about the usual group trapped behind enemy lines, and Guy Madison appears, but the action is limited and one machine-gunning sequence is really annoying in the way the sound effects repeat for about ten minutes without a break. The red filter in this sequence doesn't work either. The worst part of it is the long-winded romantic sub-plot about a Frenchwoman and a German officer.

Sad, but true, but the message at the very beginning of this film suggests that. A World War II film made during the Vietnam war, this gives evidence that supports that theory. I found thus to be a mixture of clichés and a few wise observations, in the telling of a story of desperation of the last of the German tank force to get out of France before it is too late. By this time, it's obvious that the war on their side is lost, and survival is the goal. "The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming!" one frightened towns person shouts, a laughable reference to a recent hit movie which involved Russians. Soldiers argue over who said, "If you're not with us, your against us!", debating whether or not it was Hitler or Caesar. An apology causes somebody to inquire whether or not the person who said it was actually German. A French girl somehow ends up in the Panzer (German tiger tank) with topless soldiers as the camera shoots a close-up of her barely covered chest. Guy Madison is the only American actor, surrounded by mostly Italian actors, putting this among the list of "Spaghetti westerns, although this is obviously not a western. Long moments of silence plague this, while combat sequences are loud and obnoxious, but a scene where one soldier is suddenly hit by a bullet from the tank starts off as profound as he seemingly finds blood on him with no pain, then ridiculously rolls down a hill like a log. Gratuitous love scenes in the middle of battlegrounds add to the complete ridiculousness as does transposed memories of war for the man while he is making love. A chicken appears out of nowhere for one of the men to literally wrestle with. It reaches the height of ridiculousness when the blonde heroine puts an obvious doll up to her breast to nurse. I wouldn't call this the worst war movie that I have ever seen, but it certainly is one of the strangest!

It has a great title, but the movie isn't worth the film its made with. The plot is awful and the story of a German tank crew trying to get back to its lines is performed just like a spaghetti western. I mean with the never ending, annoying music and stares of the actors. It culminates in a tank battle taking place approximately 50 feet from each tank. Of course the German tank explodes, but both occupants get out unscathed. The German tank with the American crew also explodes, but no one comes out. Furthermore, the equipment and uniforms are equally ridiculous. Also, the dialogue seems as though it was written by a 10 year old kid. Do not waste your time with this clunker.

This film is a total waste of celluloid. It's the story of a German Tiger tank caught behind US lines during WW 2. There is no one in this film that you will recognize.The acting is terrible, period. The German part of the soundtrack is dubbed in English, so the mouth movements don't match the words. The musical score doesn't match the film at all. It bears a strong resemblance to the score of many of the early spaghetti westerns. Errors abound...the Nazi "Tiger" tank is, in fact, an old US M-48. The Germans keep talking about needing "gas". All Tiger tanks were diesel-powered. There are errors in the small arms on both sides. About the only thing that kept me watching was the sexy blond wife of a local restaurant owner shows plenty of leg and provides a bit of eye candy. She bears a distinct resemblance to Nancy Sinatra back in her "These Boots are Made for Walking" days. The dialog is poorly written, cliché-ridden and woodenly delivered. Some of the acting is so poor that I found myself laughing when there is no humor in the film. It's difficult to believe that this director had already done a half dozen films prior to this tripe and actually did several more afterwards. Don't bother with this one - at all.