Enemy at the Gates [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

On the DVD: with a choice of Dolby 5.1 or DTS the sound is suitably spectacular (James Horner's Prokofiev-inspired score comes up well amid whizzing bullets and explosions), while the 2.35:1 anamorphic picture makes the best of the epic battle sequences. "Through the Crosshairs" is a standard 20-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, which is complemented by "Inside Enemy at the Gates", a 15-minute montage of interviews with the stars and director. There's also a 25-minute French-made documentary (with English subtitles) about the real battle that includes a short interview with the real Vassily Zaitsev. Eight brief deleted scenes can be played separately or neatly inserted into the movie by pressing Enter when the gun sight icon appears on screen. The commentary by director Jean-Jacques Annaud is as informative as might be expected from a director who always seems passionate about his film projects. Storyboards, posters, a trailer and filmographies round out an excellent disc package. --Mark Walker

The film is set during the battle for Stalingrad in the winter of 1942, and as with all good war films has a very personal story line set in the midst of this massive confrontation. There are several fine performances from key British actors, especially from Jude Law in the main role of Soviet Sniper - Vassili Zeitsev.

I especially enjoyed the lack of American or British armed forces involvement, as films such as Pearl Harbour and Saving Private Ryan have taken much away from the massive contribution the Russians gave to the World War II effort.

I was keen to purchase the DVD as soon as it was made available, and I would recommend this as a worthy addition to any film collection.


**** RECOMMENDED ****   January 6, 2003
Mr. N. Carnegie (Kirkcaldy, Scotland, UK.)
19 out of 28 found this review helpful

The opening scene of Enemy At The Gates is very much reminiscent of (and heavily borrows from) the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan in its graphic depiction of the madness and brutality of war. However, that is no bad thing because to this point Saving Private Ryan is the most realistic cinematic depiction of war ever made. Set around the Nazi invasion of Russia, and more specifically the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, this is the story of a reluctant hero Vassily Zaitzev (Jude Law), a sniper elevated to iconic status by a combination of his own deeds and political war propaganda. Vassily gives his people new hope and as a result, the Nazis view Vassily as a major threat to their conquest of Russia and send their own expert marksman Major Konig (Ed Harris) to Stalingrad to hunt down and kill Vassily, and so begins a game of cat and mouse.

Director Jean-Jacques Annaud expertly recreates and captures the horrors of war and a city made desolate. The main cat and mouse plot between the two expert marksmen is also well-handled and Annaud maintains a good balance between the need for suspense, urgency and character development. Okay so what if it was only the Penal units of the NKVD that shot retreating soldiers and not the main part of the Red Army? (You say tomato I say tomatoe). It is a fact that under Stalin and subsequent communist Soviet regimes that people were unfairly imprisoned for such crimes as having a different opinion or writing a book and that Stalin committed horrific crimes against his people. Is it morally okay to shoot criminals and people who were unjustly jailed? I don't think so. It is also a fact that propaganda (on all sides) always plays an important part in war, and that the Russian soldiers in WWII fought incredibly hard and won against all odds, as depicted in this movie. However, this is not just a war movie or a thriller set in wartime, it also maintains a couple of good sub-plots, including a love triangle between Vassily, the propaganda journalist Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) who made him a hero and a female soldier played by Rachel Weisz. The casting of the movie is pretty interesting, with the exception of the excellent Ed Harris, the main characters are all played by British actors (with English accents), including a cameo from Bob Hoskins as Joseph Stalin. The reason behind this I don't know but they all give good performances, although I must admit to still being slightly unconvinced with Rachel Weisz's acting ability.

While not quite hitting the heady heights of classic war movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Enemy At The Gates nonetheless gives a refreshingly alternative viewpoint and historical retelling of the second world war from what has often been a neglected Russian perspective: Differences aside and contrary to popular opinion, it is unlikely that the Allies would have won WWII so quickly if it were not for the doggedness and enormous sacrifices of the Russian people. This is definitely superior to most of the dross that gets released on a weekly basis and whilst not quite scaling the heights to greatness, it's a pretty good film that I highly recommend checking out.


Don't waste your money - buy a book instead.   December 16, 2001
15 out of 43 found this review helpful

I went to see this film having read Anthony Beevor's excellent book "Stalingrad".

The opening shots of the river crossing and the sending the men off to battle without sufficient traning or weapons, with Commissars behind to shoot those who turn back, is a good beginning - but it is downhill from thereon in.

The sets give the impression that Stalingrad was some small squabble in a derelict version of Scunthorpe on a wet afternoon in November. It was actually a battle between some one million Soviets surrounding about 300,000 Germans and other Axis allies. And where is the Russian Winter?

As regards the central character - Zaitzev - it would appear that what is actually known about him is very little other than his ability as a sniper. Whether or not the Germans sent someone to try and get him is also apparently uncertain. There's nothing wrong with making a film on such scant evidence - but could the producers not at least have had the courtesy to give us something credible? I mean, why the totally absurd "love story" - or the irritating boy trying to play some sort of go between? It sure was a relief when he got his deserts.

The only really interesting person in the film is Ed Harris as the German sniper. There is a strange ambivalence about the film in that somehow it's heroic for a young and handsome Russian sniper to blow people's heads off at long range, but it's terrible of an old German to do the same thing. Come on people, war is hell, and yes the Russians were defending their homeland - but to methodically blow the heads off unsuspecting enemy soldiers (be they officers, cooks or water carriers) is not a nice thing to be doing no matter which side you are on.

I do not recommend you bother to buy this video or DVD.

Go spend your money instead on Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. You will be much more wiser, enlightened and informed about this great battle and the people who fought it.