Enemy at the Gates

2001 "A single bullet can change history."
7.5| 2h11m| R| en| More Info
Released: 16 March 2001 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.

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vikasjoshi-99705 I am speechless in front of such a top notch performances of Ed Harris & jude law ..Such a impeccable screenplay , cinematography ,original score , editing & direction .. Unforgettable masterpiece ..Must watch it
Asif Khan (asifahsankhan) "Enemy of the Gates" - Rumoured to be the most expensive European film ever made, Jean-Jacques Annaud's bloated Second World War epic is an audacious but no leaden rehash of "Saving Private Ryan", complete with a lot of flaws and historical inaccuracies surely but not as nearly as it's polyglot miscasting. A British-French-German co-production - Set in Russia but shot in Germany, this attempt to give the Battle of Stalingrad its proper due is commendable. But the director's decision to focus on a widely discredited Soviet anecdote is misguided and undermines the film's credibility from the start.With the Nazis set to achieve a major propaganda coup by overrunning the city that bears the name of their Russian enemy, Nikita Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) arrives in Stalingrad to kick the demoralised army into shape. Intimidation only goes so far, though, so one apparatchik, Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), suggests they find a hero to inspire the troops.That hero is Vassily Zaitsev (Jude Law), a peasant from the Urals who happens to be a crack shot marksman or a Sniper if you play a lot of X-Box, which is no surprise since we're looking at Russia, the largest size-wise country is filled with more of these Snipers than the ambition to actually kill. Danilov builds the unassuming Vassily into a legend, trumpeting his exploits to such an extent that the Germans send their best sniper, Major Koenig (Ed Harris), to take him down.What follows is a series of one-on-one confrontations between the two men at various locales in the bombed-out city, juxtaposed with an unlikely and insipid romance between Vassily and pretty Jewish soldier Tania (Rachel Weisz). The opening scenes of chaos are as accomplished as those in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winner, but unlike Saving Private Ryan, from then on Annaud is not all at sea or at war. In fact he ensembles a pretty decent directional approach and tension-full script along with solid performances from his British leads.While for a war film, it has no notable "extreme level brutality" on display or gores of Saving Private Ryan or any modern day slasher films as one might expect but it is nevertheless a must see for every fan of the genre.
willclayburn This film will always have a place in my heart, a classic heroic tale, the hero fighting not for any real cause but because he must.He finds love and his enemy. his rise to glory is meteoric but he must face the enemy all is on the line his glory his love and his life.taking place during the great patriotic war(WWII, eastern front) the desperate cause of the USSR to beat back the tide of Nazism, men are forced to fight with meager means our hero is one of the grunts and by chance he lives and is brought out to the war effort as a hero than he fights the pressure and the feeling of his inability but he faces all challenges and faces great hardships.
ironhorse_iv 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