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Enemy at the Gates | Year: 2001 Directed: - Jean-Jacques Annaud Actors/Actresses: - Jude Law - Ed Harris - Joseph Fiennes - Bob Hoskins - Ron Perlman - Rachel Weisz Confused war-based thriller and love story It is difficult to know exactly what the producers of this film intended it to be. Is this portrayal of the dreadful stalemate that was the battle for Stalingrad meant to demonstrate that the communist dictatorship of Stalin was every bit as evil as the fascist dictatorship of Hitler, not least in its total disregard for the value of human life? Is it a gritty thriller about the individual bravery and personal cunning of two evenly matched national heroes, each striving for a symbolic victory over their enemy? Is it a tragedy centred on the impossible love triangle involving a young woman of the Russian intelligentsia, a naive shepherd boy from the Urals and his new-found friend, a political officer within the Red Army? Is it merely another large-budget gore-fest, intended to leave one awe-struck at modern graphic technology? Sadly - I suspect through trying to be all of the above to some degree - "Enemy at the Gates" fails to come across as anything of any real note. Certainly, the special effects are gut-churningly realistic. Unfortunately, for me, they sum up one of this film's great failings: they are so detailed and overblown that it is impossible to take them in. And while this may go some way towards conveying the terrifying and bewildering conditions in which warfare is generally conducted, it also goes a long way towards losing the focus of the audience's attention at crucial stages of the drama. As a result, the film's message, if indeed it has one, becomes lost amongst the myriad messages screaming for our attention. We stop involving ourselves in the drama and start instead almost to admire it as spectacle, which although sickening is never what it really should be - frightening and involving. (For that, you need to watch "Band of Brothers".) The same complaints are true of the flow of the film as a whole. Of the story's numerous sub-plots - Vassili's childhood circumstances; König's and Koulikov's personal backgrounds; Sacha's activities in the enemy's camp; Tania's vacillation between the Sniper Corps and a safe intelligence job; or even, indeed, Danilov's feelings for Tania - none are really explored to any degree. Few are ever explained or even, in fact, allowed to play out effectively. It is thus hard to become absorbed in any of the film's various elements for long. The film is worth watching for some powerful performances by the principals - especially Bob Hoskins in the role of Nikita Khrushchev - and, if you need that sort of thing, for its graphic portrayals of man's inhumanity to man. Unfortunately, though, the film's often-cumbersome dialogue, coupled with rather directionless editing, makes for an overly long, somewhat confusing and ultimately unsatisfying drama. This DVD production is nothing very special, either. The anamorphic widescreen picture quality is superb, of course. Also included is almost 40 minutes of background material, as well as a good 10 minutes-worth of out-takes. Sadly, though, there is no way to view the movie with the out-takes reinserted at the appropriate places, which is a great shame, given that the decision to cut these scenes was obviously taken at a late post-production stage and they are in no way unfinished. Although their reinstatement would make the film even longer, I can't help feeling that this would, in fact, help illuminate other scenes and make sense of some of the action. It would at least be nice to have the opportunity to try it that way. One way and another, then, I have to say that this is an altogether disappointing production. A hero sharpshooter at the battle of Stalingrad This 2001 war movie brings WW2 to audiences from a unique perspective for Americans - the battle of Stalingrad in 1942 which lasted six months, took 2 million lives and was an important turning point in the war. It stars Jude Law as a Russian sharpshooter and Joseph Fiennes as a fellow soldier of a slightly higher rank who publicizes the hero's courage throughout Russia. However, the Germans bring in their own sharpshooter, Ed Harris. A young shoeshine boy, Gabriel Thompson, who might or might not be betraying his country, a Jewish Russian soldier, Rachel Weisz, who is the love interest of the two Russian soldiers and Bob Hoskins as Nikita Krushchev, round out the cast. Each one gives an impressive performance. The battle scenes are excellent, the cruelty of war clearly demonstrated, especially in the scenes when the Russians shoot their own men for running away. There's a lot of blood and it is all very real and gruesome. This sets the stage for the rest of the story, which is quite gripping, especially as the two sharpshooters are locked in a cat and mouse game throughout most of the film. At those times, my eyes were glued to the screen, feeling the tension as well as the hardships that the Russians endured. However, when it came to the romance, the story lagged and there was just a little too much modern interpretation of Communism for my taste. The story was a good one though and could have stood on its own without all that extra stuff. I did thoroughly enjoy the video, however, and recommend it for war film buffs, especially for those who might want to explore this rarely explored part of history. The film has its weaknesses, but it is still worth watching. Great Sniper Movie This is one of if no the best sniper movie I've ever seen.A little week on the storyline but makes up for it during the action sequences.I recomend this movie to sniper and war movie fans. Buy Enemy At The Gates at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Enemy At The Gates Search with the Priority Search Engine on Enemy At The Gates This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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