Der Tiger ending explained: Here's what happens to Major von Hardenburg

Der Tiger, also known internationally as The Tank, is a war drama film directed by Dennis Gansel. It is a joint production between Germany and the Czech Republic with the screenplay written by Gansel and Colin Teevan. It hit the theatres on September 18, 2025. The official synopsis, as per Letterboxd is:

In the Eastern Front of World War II in 1943, a five-man crew of a German Tiger tank is sent on a secret mission far behind the fiercely contested front line. Fueled by the Wehrmacht’s methamphetamine, their assignment increasingly becomes a journey into the heart of darkness.

Let's find out how the film ends.

What's the story of Der Tiger?

Der Tiger takes place in 1943 during the Second World War. It focuses on five soldiers who are manning a German Tiger Tank. They have been sent on a secret mission far from the front line. All of them have consumed methamphetamine. The film focuses on their journey and what happens to them in the process.

How does Der Tiger end?

Der Tiger focuses on the five crew members who have been sent to rescue Major von Hardenburg. He has gone rogue and has sensitive information regarding the military. The team is tasked to take him back to the base. All of them go through sleepless nights and are high on stimulations during the journey. It makes it hard to understand if a scene is a reality of someone's hallucination.

The crew finally reaches Hardenburg. They realize he is a complex human being and is not interested in following orders. All of them realize that they have become like Hardenburg in the process. He tells them that the real enemy is the ideology they have been following. It has turned everyone into a weapon that is only leading to destruction.

The film ends on an ambiguous note as nothing is clear. We are not sure if the scenes are actually taking place or if they are a part of someone's imagination. All of the crew members are fatigued and are high. The ending doesn't make it clear if they manage to take Hardenburg with them or not.

There is no clear resolution or thumping victory in the end like other war films. It showcases that war comes with a cost, and it's uncertain. That uncertainty creeps into the characters. The ending is reflective and heavy as it digs into the psychology of all the men who are on the battlefield. It remains unclear if Hardenburg is captured or if he's set free.

Der Tiger is produced by Frank Kusche and Dan Maag. It's shot by Carlo Jelavic while Heiko Maile has composed the score. The film stars several German actors like David Schütter, Laurence Rupp, Leonard Kunz, Tilman Strauß, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Yoran Leicher, and André M. Hennicke. It is the first German film by Amazon MGM Studios to get a theatrical release in the United States.