This is a uniquely different war film without constant battle scenes and war gore. In fact, this is more of a mystery, supernatural drama film, and very interesting, too! I found the film's color very clear and realistic, and the acting very natural - especially Aleksey Vertkov as Naydenov. Naydenov himself is as mysterious as the White Tiger and added another dimension to the mystery. The village battle scene when he finally came face to face with the White Tiger was awesome! It was refreshing to see the fight scenes without overbearing music. Spoiler: the film does leave you hanging, though, having to decide for yourself what happened to the White Tiger and Naydenov, and the meaning of Hitler at the end, and how to interpret and connect the loose ends.

I respect Russian war movies as the action is so different from the endlessly regurgitated over the top Nazi slaughterfest cartoon clones that the Hollywood propaganda machine has churned out in the last 50 years.Russian movies are gritty & patriotic, the Russian & Germans go mano a mano like two punch drunk fighters...that being said the White Tiger falls flat . The Tiger tank seemed like a big dumb dog when it should have been rabidly pulling on the chain. That has to do with the wooden acting and poor theatrics of the German ghost panzer that lumbered like an old farm dog when it should have been lunging like a junkyard dog.The movie lacked ambiance in the summer sun when claustrophobia winter fog or whiteout conditions was needed. The crews spend more time out of the tank than in,like a Shark movie with beachcombers never getting in the water. The white winter camouflaged Tiger versus the green camo T-34 tanks while lollygagging around the leafy bush seemed rather silly. The sense of fear nonexistent, the Tiger a nuisance . The Russian troops should have been stampeding to the rear but instead they jokingly lounge around under the summer sun. Also the story line switched gears at the halfway point that was so confusingly pointless... I believe the lack of a suspense boxed the directer into ending the lackluster story arch prematurely .

For a low budget film it looks good and there are some decent battle scenes. And it has a very interesting premise. That's the good part.Unfortunately that about all this film has going for it. The acting is pretty wooden. You never know what anyone is thinking, or feeling. There seem to be plenty of pensive moments but they don't reveal anything. Because not one character in the whole movie has a complete character arc. Who they are when they first appear is exactly who they are when the film ends. No one is changed by anything. No one learns anything. Not one plot point it ever resolved.The first and second acts plod along, not at a sluggish pace, but none too swiftly. And then, before you know it, the war is over. Literally, just like that. Not with a bang. Not with some triumphant battle. Just one long and boring scene with Germany surrendering to the Soviets. You wonder if this will eventually lead to something. But it doesn't. This is followed by another long and boring scene of marching captured German soldiers. And you think this is going to lead to something. But it doesn't. I can't help but wonder if either they couldn't figure out how to end it. Or that the whole movie was created just to give some public service announcement about the horrors of war.

I found this film to be very successful. It takes an historical situation, carefully reconstructs it in an accurate and believable fashion, then applies an extra-real/fantasy overcoat as a platform to drive home a number of philosophical ideas. These are not simple ideas either, they are powerful and controversial and force one to think unless of course one was looking only for a nuts-and-bolts war movie. In that case, you will likely be disappointed but it worked perfectly for me. There were a number of slower scenes that would seem out-of-place without the wider philosophical/sociological themes playing out. I suggest that viewers not look to be entertained in the straightforward sense but instead allow themselves to be provoked. Don't worry about the acting, directing, sets, camera work, etc. They all good and work well. There is a clear Tarkovsky influence in many of the scenes although not as surreal what you get in Stalker and Solaris.