Enemy at the Gates (16 March 2001)
directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
starring Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, Ed Harris, Ron Perlman, Gabriel Marshall-Thomson
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MPAA rating: Studio: Mandalay Pictures, Paramount Pictures Script: Jean-Jacques Annaud, Alain Goddard Based on the book by: William Craig Running time: 131 minutes Suggested retail price: $29.99 (US) Tags: betrayal; double agents; Drama; heroes; jealousy; mud; Nazis; novel adaptation; propaganda; sharpshooters; snipers; Stalingrad; war; World War II Tactical strength: [8/10]
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for strong graphic war violence and some sexuality
Vassili Zaitsev shot 149 Germans during the 1942 battle for Stalingrad. Enemy at the Gates depicts Vassili and his legendary duel with the German sniper Major Konig. Conditions in Stalingrad couldn't have gotten much worse. The Red Army didn't have enough rifles for their troops, so they sent troops in pairs -- one with a rifle, the other with some spare bullets to put in the rifle of one of his fallen comrades. On arriving in Stalingrad, the army sends Vassili (Jude Law), a shepherd from the Urals, into battle without a rifle, and the officers have orders to shoot anyone who tries to retreat. After the battle, Vassili hides among the bodies of his comrades. Nearby, five Germans start to wash up, and Vassili kills them all from his concealed position. A political officer, Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), witnesses Vassili's marksmanship and proposes to Nikita Krushchev (Bob Hoskins), the battlefield commander, that publishing the Vassili's story will improve morale. Vassili continues sniping, Danilov continues publishing the stories, and the Germans send in their best sharpshooter, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to eliminate Vassili.
Of course, you can't make a modern drama without a love interest, so director/writer Jean-Jacques Annaud introduces Tania (Rachel Weisz). Both Vassili and Danilov fall for Tania. This subplot of conflict between heros does provide some motivation for Danilov's final actions, but doesn't contribute much to the overall story of the snipers' duel. And just in case you don't feel sympathetic enough for these poor people dealing with an abhorrent situation, Annaud plays the Ace sympathy card: the cute kid. Twelve-year-old Sasha (Gabriel Marshall-Thomson) works as a double agent, feeding false information to Konig and reporting information back to Vassili and Danilov.
The cinematography in Enemy creates stunning pictures of destruction filled with details like the toppled statue of Lenin that evoke a specific place in time and not just another carpet-bombed city. The actors all do excellent work with their characters, although Rachel Weisz's characteristic voice occasionally would evoke scenes from The Mummy. Bob Hoskins looked so uncannily like Nikita Krushchev that it took me several scenes to even recognize him.
I find it interesting that we can now begin to tell and appreciate stories about the heros of the Soviet Union. Remarkably, except for a single speech by Danilov, Annaud refrains from Soviet bashing in his script. He tells the general story of a disadvantaged people defending their homeland and the engaging story of a hero. Also, I think we have seen so much anti-Nazi media that we can easily identify with anyone who opposes such stereotypes. Although, I believe that we still have a limited ability to recognize heroism in the Russian people. I doubt that many people would have cheered for Vassili if Annaud cast him as the pilot that shot down the U2.
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