Enemy at the Gates

This movie had an authentic feel and a good story full of twists. And the acting was great. Jude Law gives a steady performance as Vasilli, and Joseph Fiennes lights up the screen with his passionate and deep Danilov. Ed Harris is intense as usual, and it was nice to see Rachel Weisz in a role that was quite a departure from the comical librarian in The Mummy. Other notable supporting characters: Ron Perlman as Koulikov, and Bob Hoskins as a perfect Nikita Khrushchev.

The look of the film was both lush and spare, perfect for a war movie. The directing was skillful, and the script was great, taking a refreshing non-American view of the Russian fronts of World War II, and avoiding the easy resolutions of many Hollywood movies.

A movie well worth seeing.


Good war movie, but not perfect...   June 3, 2001
 3 out of 6 found this review helpful

The first thing this film definitely deserves credit for is the fact that it presents a WWII story from a POV that definitely hasn't been explored enough in film (the Russian perspective). And this film does so without any strong biases. It does not try to portray the russian soldiers from an American point of view, for example (although it did have a bit of an underlying commentary on communism). An American viewer will not feel conscious of the fact that these are Soviet heroes rather than US Army Rangers...they are simply portrayed as protagonists in a desperate conflict. Stalingrad was a pinnacle point in the war and it really does deserve to have a mainstream film made about it. As a movie about the battle of Stalingrad itself, this film is good but not great. The sets are great and the opening battle gives you an idea of just how desperate a situation the Soviet troops were in (and why their valiant efforts at Stalingrad should be tributed). But on the other hand, I felt that the background information leading up to the battle was overly simplistic. The extent of the battle was not really portrayed enough either. After the initial landing scene, the battle of Stalingrad is largely ignored so that the film can focus solely on the sniper battle as if it was the only thing that mattered. They should have shown more of the large scale warfare and the bloody and hopeless city fighting that went on, as well as how the Germans began losing the upper hand (it's not like it was due entirely to the efforts of one single russian sniper!) They could also have portrayed the fact that people were starving, rather than having the available resources to sit down and have good meals and parties while they weren't fighting. Nevertheless, the sniper battles were very well done and the atmosphere was conveyed very well. I also felt that the plot (about the russian sniper who must bear the unwilling burden of being a heroic symbol for his people, despite his own fears and limitations), made a very touching example of wartime sacrifice. Sometimes you have no choice but to be a hero, and it is not an easy cross to bear. I think that the love triangle could have worked, but it really needed to be fleshed out a bit more and the resolution seemed too abrupt, too simple and overly dramatic. As a result, it hurts the film and gives us the impression that they just HAD to throw in a generic love conflict. But its not nearly as untolerable as the one in Pearl Harbor though. Ultimately, the film's main flaws are that it is a bit too conventional and also fails in one or two major areas in successfully telling the Stalingrad story. If it had been tweaked a bit it would've had potential to be a classic war film along the lines of Saving Private Ryan. Instead it turns out as a very well executed, albeit conventional war film. Although not perfect, it still stands high above such useless drivel as "Pearl Harbor" and "The Patriot".


Great new perspective on the 2nd World War   June 2, 2001
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

"Enemy at the Gates" is a great film. The combat scenes are all excellently choreographed and edited, from the massive opening battle sequences, to all of the tense sniper vs. sniper showdowns in the bombed out ruins of Stalingrad. The opening batttle sequence is shocking in its brutal depiction of World War II's eastern front.

The film shows a new perspective on WW2. There are no Americans in this film, so you can get a feel of how the struggle against Nazi Germany extended much farther than U.S. casualties. In fact, the Soviet Union lost close to 50 times more people in the war than the United States did. That's right, 50 times. Over one million soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of Stalingrad, which the movie is set in. That's why I think this movie is informative in showing a new perspective. It is also goes beyond the typical communist=evil rhetoric that has been so common in U.S. movie making.

The special effects, sound, and cinematography are all excellent, and there is a riveting plot to hold the wathcer's attention. Of course, I have to discuss the weakness, which is, of course, the love triangle between the film's three main protagonists. Unnecessary, and it does take away from the power and meaning of the film.

Some have complained about the accents, among other things, of the characters being detrimental to the realism. You have to realize that this is a film. Everything can't always be portrayed accurately you know. Besides, normally the results are not always too pretty when an actor tries to put on an accent that is not their own. Further, this is not a documentary, it's historical fiction. Watch it as what it is.


A great movie!   June 1, 2001
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

This movie was great. Unlike Saving Private Ryan's fake set decoration, these people were able to pull off a set design for an entire city (I bet with half the budget). It was very moving and made you think what would happen if you were there in the midst of all of that. Enjoy this great movie


WOW!   May 31, 2001
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

If you like War movies, especially World Wr 2 movies, I recommend this movie. It was a very great sniper movie and very realisitic. This movie had a very great plot and tons of action.