Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Disappointing

The problem with this movie is that historical inaccuracies. If one is to make a movie based upon an actual event, it really should try to stick to what really happened. To make matters worse, great actors were stuck into bad parts and they seemed to just sleep-walk through the thing. Plus, Jude Law does a terrible Russian accent, when he even tries. Just a waste of time AND money. April 2, 2008

Romantic Triangle in Battle

This is based on a true story from the Battle of Stalingrad. It tells how a sniper became a hero for publicity and morale. The first scene shows men crossing the river in the daytime! [Night crossings would prevent air attacks.] Wasn't there a Soviet Air Force to defend against those Stuka fighters? Were those soldiers only given one clip of ammunition? Next there is a charge against entrenched troops. Didn't they learn anything since WW I? [Or is this just symbolism and propaganda?] Vassily Zaitsev the shepherd knows how to shoot a rifle. Nikita Khrushchev is now in charge and asks for suggestions. Why not improve morale? The sniper's exploits are advertised for building morale. Women were used for sniper duty, successfully.

Vassily gets an experienced older sniper who studied in the German sniper school. The Germans use a captured soldier as lure to reveal a sniper's location. A young boy provides a story for a bar of chocolate. Major Koenig lays a clever trap, it almost works. Is that boy a double agent? Tanya and Vassily are nice to each other. There will be a new attack and Vassily is prepared for Koenig. Koenig is very clever to understand that boy, and lays a trap. Will wolf hunter Vassily become the hunted? Will personal emotion create an unneeded conflict? The film continues to the final showdown between Vassily and Koenig. Is it believable, or just a dramatic ending? Will Vassily meet Tanya for a happy ending?

The encircled German 6th Army surrendered at Stalingrad in February 1943. It was the end of the beginning. The Battle of Kursk in July 1943 marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. You could read one book and learn a lot more than what you get from this entertainment; or most war films.
February 11, 2008

A microcosm of the gigantic war between the Nazis and Soviets.

The opening scenes capture the realities of war almost as effectively as was done in "Saving Private Ryan." This movie does something that so many other WWII movies does so stupidly, though: It tries to drive a romance into the middle of a survival of the fittest mortal combat film. I don't mind such a thing in a work of fiction, but this movie is about the Battle of Stalingrad, which is probably the most important battle of WWII.

Actually, the film is about a legend that grew in Soviet Russia during WWII, and this story puts it into that great battle. The opening scenes are pure adrenaline pumping combat that is stark and terrible. As the film settles down, though, we begin to focus in on a highly politicized duel between a pair of snipers. One is a peasant from Russia. The other is a professional from Nazi Germany. They hunt for one another through the broken city of Stalingrad, each attempting to find their advantage against the other.

To be sure, the sniper scenes are a bit far fetched, the love story is strange, the political drama overdone. The mass combat is spectacular. Watch this film for a look at that for yourself. The climax is ridiculous, especially for a sniper war. I suggest that you watch this film once just to get an idea of the nature of combat between the professional German army and the conscripted peasant army of the Soviet Union. It will give you a small look at the struggle that cost 20 million Soviets' lives. January 14, 2008

Enemy at the Gates

Very powerful movie I've always enjoyed and now, my daughter is doing a report on the same. Thank goodness for continued excellent movie making !!! This is a movie that will certainly hold your attention and focuses on other aspects that certainly do occur during any war. Worth watching. December 22, 2007

Historically inaccurate, pretentious, and dull

Some of the top Amazon reviews of this picture praise Hollywood for making a war film about the Russian front. This was certainly the decisive battlefield in my opinion and has been underrepresented in Western film. Judging simply from Hollywood films, you'ld think the war was won when Rommel was thrown out of North Africa or when Tom Hanks landed on Omaha Beach. From my perspective, however, if this film is the best Hollywood can do to tell the story of the fighting on the Eastern front, they shouldn't bother. The basic premise of this film is a tale of two snipers hunting each other in the the ruins of Stalingrad. The Soviet sniper has killed many German officers, and the Germans has brought in a specialist from Berlin to counter him. Throw in a beautiful love interest, and you have the makings of a war melodrama. This film has so many flaws that my 2-star rating is generous. First, there are so many historical inaccuracies in this film that it has negative historical merit. That is, after watching this film, you'll know less about Stalingrad and the Eastern Front than before watching this film. Almost every bit of historical information in this film is wrong. A well made war movie should, in my opinion, try to retain as much historical accuracy as possible so that the viewer can both get a feel for the action and a learn something in the process. I'm not going to list everything that is wrong with this film (e.g. the Sniper Division?!?!?!?!?), but a five minute perusal of the Wikipedia entry on Stalingrad after watching this film will show you the gross inaccuracies. For a serious student of WWII, this film is an insult. Second, putting aside the historical inaccuracies, the story is overly melodramatic and simply dull. I didn't find the characters interesting, compelling, or believable. The director's attempts to portray the magnitude of the violence on the Eastern front were simply laughable. This film conveys none of the emotional impact of films such as Saving Private Ryan. This whole film feels like a video game. The love triangle aspect doesn't play out well, and the self-doubt of the characters gives the whole film an air of pretentiousness. It certainly does not make the characters more human, it makes them less interesting.

Bottom line - if you are an even somewhat serious student of WWII, I wouldn't waste my time watching this even as a rental. I strongly discourage anyone from actually buying this DVD, a waste of money. I give this film 2 stars because I've seen worse, but there isn't much here. December 22, 2007

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