russian-and-soviet-cinema:

“White Tiger“ is a war movie, directed by Karen Shakhnazarov in 2012. It’s based on a novel by Ilya Boyashov “The Tank Crewman“, but I wouldn’t call it a proper adaptation, because a lot of things got changed or were accented in a different manner.

The main plotline remains the same, though: a badly burnt body of a man is found in a destroyed tank after a battle. To the surprise of everyone the man seems to show some signs of life, so he’s brought to a hospital where - once again, to the surprise and some horror of everyone - he recovers from the majority of damage in mere three weks and is able to go back to the battlefield as a tank operator.

The man is amnesiac, the only things he remembers are his tank fixing and navigation skills, and the fact that back then he was burnt by the White Tiger, a mysterious German tank who is rumoured to be appearing out of nowhere, destroying dozens of Soviet engines and disappearing without leaving a trace.

So the man, renamed Ivan Naydyonov, keeps searching for the White Tiger, while around them the Second World war is happening.

There may very well be a supernatural element to Naydyonov and White Tiger’s beings, but most of other characters prefer not to think about it too much.

Btw, you can watch the whole movie on Youtube with English subs - here.