'Lebanon' takes dead aim at war

Can iron sweat? It seems to in the Israeli-produced "Lebanon," which takes place exclusively within the greasy, claustrophobic interior of a tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, where four Israeli soldiers try to keep it together through an engagement that seems to have neither purpose nor end.

Based on the real experiences of Israeli director Samuel Maoz, it is a thriller, a critique of political expediency, an anti-war statement (probably), but it's also cinema, of a particularly urgent variety: As computers and other technology expand both the scope and ease of moviemaking, what some directors are finding is that visceral dread / tension are best achieved by narrowing their focus like a laser.

Maoz shoots much of his film down the gunsight of the tank; when a Lebanese woman stares defiantly back into the camera, and into the tank, you'll be convinced "Lebanon" has reinvented the close-up. Or, at the very least, rediscovered its potency.

The soldiers (Oshri Cohen, Zohar Shtrauss, Michael Moshonov, Itay Tiran) have their problems, and some problematic visitors - a brutish officer, a dead Israeli soldier (whose body they have to bring home), a Syrian POW and a Phalangist who arrives and quietly terrorizes the prisoner. Because of the language barrier, the soldiers have no idea what the right-wing Phalangist is up to. Thank to subtitles, we do. It's terrifying.

Winner of the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival last year, this film has left a trail of political debate and critical raves around the world. Yes, we know: In many cases, controversy is little more than a come-on. But "Lebanon" really deserves the accolades and attention.