Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Absolutely Brilliant!

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Any viewer or reviewer thought this film was adapted from William Craig's "Enemy at The Gates" was probably wrong, because it was actually adapted from the novel, "War of The Rats", written and published by David. L. Robbins in 2009. I don't know if Robbins had referred to some similar historical background resources as Craig's studied WWII eastern front war between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Russia, but Robbins' NOVEL is obviously and definitely more dramatic and interesting than Craig's NON-FICTION, since writing NOVEL didn't have to be strictly correct with the history, everything could be widely borrowed from any inspirational anecdote in a history or hearsay by the novelist and then developed by his own pure imagination to process it into a FICTION, and all of it was based on the free imagination of the novelist, while a NON-FICTION on the contrary, must be exactly written like filing a documentary, a long article written by the author after his thorough study of the history with all of the existed materials and findings of tangible records in archives. So a non-fiction author in some way is just a collector who assemble, combine, edit and re-arrange all the materials into a new form of record, a updated version of the history with his own explanations and opinions into a new article or a book.Therefore, if you watch this film from the above fundamental viewpoint, the dramatized storyline, scenarios, plots, twists, even the flaws whatever might be existed, will not and should not mistakenly judged from a must-be-100%-correct in accordance with the exact what-really-happened historical records. If a movie genre itself as a drama, a thriller, an action war/battle story based on a NOVEL, you, as a viewer, should not and must not criticize it and treat it as a DOCUMENTARY film, because it got nothing to do with the exact records of the history, it's dramatized by the free imagination of the novelist. Same as when you watch a movie played by some of the popular male or female actors, and you watch them as they are the actors you are familiar with instead of the roles they have transformed and played as they should be, then you are just a pathetic movie viewer, because you never could allow yourself to be smoothly, unconsciously and willingly to be merged into a materialized MOVIE with dramatized characters but could only so consciously separating yourself outside of a virtual MOVIE, still be yourself and those actors working in Hollywood movie industries. It only shows how pathetic you are as a movie viewer since you could never distinguish a virtual mirage from the reality, still name all the roles played by WHO's WHO in Hollywood. So based on all of the above-mentioned premises, those who claimed this film an insult to what-really-happened in history, to reviewer who even claimed he's with the genuine Russian racial background and condemned this film so incorrect or whatsoever, you were obviously either aboard the wrong ship or never got on the train. Read the novel first, or watch the film first then, if you find it interesting, order the novel by David L. Robbins from amazon.com to have another roller-coaster ride in the dramatized literary world. : )There are several fantastic early Soviet Russian movies and some newer ones you should check them out:The Forty-first (1956) Ivanovo Detstvo (1962)Stalingrad (2013) Bitva Za Sevastopol(Lady Death) 2015

This movie was a bang! A critical hit. If there ever going to be a film that could make the most die-hard of Americans, cheer for a Cold War foreign nation like the Soviet Union. It probably be, this movie, set in World War II. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the film tells the cat & mouse sniper duel between Red Army's Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law), and German Nazi - Major Erwin König (Ed Harris), during the backdrop of the Battle of Stalingrad. Without spoiling the movie, too much, for the most part, 'Enemy at the Gates' action scenes were intense, brutal and deadly. It did limited the scape of the battle to these two trying to hunt each other in nearly the same area, each day in somewhat a repetitive motion. So, you never truly get the scale on how large, the battle was. Although, I am glad, that they feature a sniper duel, I was still somewhat disappointed by the fact that the book, that the movie was based on, the non-fiction novel by author, William Craig, chronicling the entire Battle of Stalingrad with hundreds of survivors of the battle-both Russian and German soldiers and civilians like Ernst Von Paulus, Alexander Rado, Emil Metzger, Andrei Ivanoich Yeremenko & others, stitching their incredible experiences together for one giant piece, while this movie only focus on that one story about Vassili Zaitsev. In truth, the urban clash with Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union troops in Stalingrad cost the lives of nearly two million men and women, in a course of 5 months, 1 weeks and 3 days. Yet, you really don't see much of their stories. Because of this, the film represented more like 'War of the Rats' by author, David L. Robbins rather than 'Enemy at the Gate'. Don't get me wrong, the film is still good, but the story could be, a little more epic. Despite that, 'Enemy at the Gates' has other problems that kinda hurt this film. One of them, is the large amount of historic inaccuracies. First off, there is no way that German or Soviet rifles of those calibers would create a small hole in someone's head and nothing more. It would blow their heads off. The film should had been bloodier than what we saw. Another is how they portray coward and spies, acting like there is hope for them, if they get caught, despite what we been told in the beginning of the film. In real-life, the commanders of both nations would kill the family of the spies, but killing the families of those who failed to bring victory. In truth, there was little hope for anybody caught as one. Another problem with the film, is the unnecessary love triangle between, Zaitsev, his lover, Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz) and his friend, Commisar Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). Yes, I get that, Tania was Zaitsev's real life lover and this relationship, was indeed part of the book, but the audience couldn't get invested in it, while, real-life people were dying on the street, while, they selfish argument with each other, on who f*ck who. 1942's 'Casablanca' tells it best. It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. It did really does take away, from how important, winning the war, was, from the rest of the movie. It wasn't needed, even if all three British actors did wonderfully, in their roles, even if they couldn't pull off a Russian accent. However, I wouldn't mind, Tania being more like the borderline Sociopathic Soldier with a mild infatuation with Zaitsev, rather than the lovesick Damsel in Distress that she is, in the movie. Zaystev is the only character in the movie, whom portrayal matches the more accurate ones documented in the book. The film takes considerable liberties with other characters like Nikita Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) was slightly more over the top. It's safe to say, this movie isn't near Bob Hoskins's best role. Another problem of the film is the fact that there is no current available evidence that Zaitsev and König, ever face each other. There is also no evidence that Major Erwin König ever existed, despite the claim made by the Armed Forces Museum of Moscow to be in possession of his telescopic sight. Regardless if its fiction or not, I just glad, this movie isn't surface deep 'flag-waving' communist propaganda. After all, it's hard to market that, to American audiences. I just glad, the film is a little more complex than that. It does show both factions as brutal regimes, which they were. It's a lot better than the book that portray the Germans in a little too controversial, favorable light. The film also show the soul-searching, tragic consequences and inner turmoil of the combatants on both sides, making them, question their superiors and the reasons, on why they must fight. I like how the soldiers are just trying to survive a war or to avenge/protect loved ones, rather than, trying to seek to do bad things. Also, neither Vasily or König ever demonstrate any real conviction in respectively Stalinist or National-Socialist ideology. I also love how the film expose the exploits of propaganda, with Vasily. You see, how brain wash the people can be, with these two nations going at war. Regardless of what they portrayed, the movie bomb at the box office, when it came out in 2001. It does beg the question; why was this movie even made? The Soviet Union is gone, so Russian audiences isn't going to see it. Western culture are so engrained in hating anything Red & Foreign. So it most unlikely, it was made for them. So, who is this movie, for!? Despite that, I still like this movie for what it is. An intense cat & mouse thriller. While, it's not the best WW2 movie out there. It's far from being one of the worst

In the grand tradition of Old Hollywood, this international co-production seeks to frame the key battle of WW2 (the REAL key battle, not the ones from the John Wayne movies) as a morality tale involving a love triangle.It is a bold idea, and beautifully executed.In fact an argument could be made -- and I will make it -- that any flaws in the execution (it lags a bit here and there) are the result of the film-makers' "reach exceeding their grasp" and they attempted too much, more than one film could ever accomplish.But what a film it is! You viewer feel as though you are there, making history. The four stars involved have, each of them, never given a bad performance in their careers and they surely maintain their records here.Ed Harris in particular -- although he has less screen time -- will always to this reviewer seem a vastly under-rated actor. (This review written in 2017 where an older Harris still uses his charisma in a defining role for HBOs Westworld .... and nails it.) Recommended? Absolutely! In the Metacritic data that IMDb so helpfully provides I could not help but notice one reviewer commenting that, well, it sure isn't in the same class as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.Which is the irony of doing film reviews. I have never not once thought of wanting to see SAVING PRIVATE RYAN again, but this film is one I like to revisit every few years. Magnificent.

Enemy at the Gates (2001) Reviewed by Martin Davis. Retrospect Film on Facebook. Stalingrad 1942. The Third Reich have swept through Europe and deep into the heart of Mother Russia. The Red Army and Hitler's troops are engaged in bitter hand to hand combat amidst the ruins of the city. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud's World War II epic opens with an uncompromising depiction of the brutality of war as hundreds of newly arrived Russian soldiers attempt a near suicidal mission to cross the Volga into Stalingrad. Under heavy land and aerial bombardment, any man attempting desertion is shot down with a bullet from a Soviet officers pistol. Finding themselves isolated amongst the fallen bodies of their comrades, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) and Commisar Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) make good their escape after Vassili demonstrates his impressive marksmanship skills with a rifle. Meanwhile, future Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) has arrived in Stalingrad and demands ideas to improve the peoples battered morale. Danilov, now a Senior Lieutenant, starts a propaganda campaign in the army newspaper about Vassili's exploits and the farmers boy from the Ural Mountains, taught to shoot by his Grandfather, is transferred to the sniper division and rapidly becomes a national hero. Having become friends, Vassili and Danilov both begin a romantic involvement with a girl from Stalingrad, Tania (Rachel Weisz) a Private in the local militia. With the Soviet snipers increasingly gaining the upper hand on their German counterparts, Major Erwin König (Ed Harris) is sent in to take out Vassili and crush the Russian peoples spirit. So begins a deadly game of cat and mouse. The two protagonists are polar opposites. One, the shepherd boy with a steady hand and a sharp eye but with increasing doubts as to whether he can defeat his enemy. The other, the aristocratic German, supremely confident and equally adept with a snipers rifle. Vassili and Tania have meanwhile fallen in love and driven by jealousy Danilov attempts to discredit his friend to his superiors, resulting in fatal consequences. Based on the 1973 non fiction book 'Enemy at the Gates – The Battle for Stalingrad' by William Craig, the film is a brilliantly told tale of conflict, love and betrayal and succeeds as not just a war film but also as an historical drama and love story. Martin Davis. Retrospect Film on Facebook