Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: A US pilot strays over "forbidden area" and get great spy pictures of mass graves. Very becoming of US and Horable. But don't bother to write a negative one like I did for A Midnight Clear because they will not print it. Must have something to do with sales?
Rating: 
Summary: Not a typical Hollywood movie
Review: Enemy At The Gates is an unusual war movie and not a typical Hollywood blockbuster like Pearl Harbor. When I first saw this film in the movies, I was really... stunned by the reality of the scene, the realization of how brave the soldiers were when two had to share one weapon against an almost unbeatable enemy. That was during the beginning of the movie. I can also say that it's not really for the soft-hearted people, since there is a lot of blood - as I was saying, realistic - they're not afraid to show the deaths of men shot down. So as I was sitting in the cinema, I realized I can't run away from any horrible scene. I now own the movie and I got used to it and every time I watch it, it seems better and better, more touching every time. It is about the Russian city Stalingrad, basically the last big city which would not be defeated by Germany and Hitler, and about the way the Russian soldiers, poorly equipped and trained, have to defend the city from the enemy. One of them is Vasilij Zaitsev, who shoots so well (especially a sniper, who waits silently until the right time for shooting) that he's a menace to the German officers. So a German major is called on, to kill Zaitsev. Vasilij also befriends Danilov, who is publishing newspaper. They're great friends in the beginning. Then, they go to a family where there's a little boy Sacha, who admires Zaitsev greatly. He is regularly visiting the German major, cleaning his shoes, so he's confused because the major tries to spy on Zaitsev by asking Sacha questions and giving him chocolate - but Sacha then wants to help Zaitsev because of admiration. When Zaitsev and Danilov are at Sacha's family's house, Tanya comes in to the house. Both Zaitsev and Danilov fall for her, but Zaitsev has seen her at the train carrying him to Stalingrad, but she didn't see him. Tanya falls in love with Zaitsev then, so it sort of becomes a conflict between Zaitsev and Danilov. She also wants to fight because her parents were killed, but Danilov wants to protect her and keep her away from harm, while Zaitsev of course wants her safe but understands her desire for revenge and lets her fight. So all this is bound into the thrilling epic movie Enemy At The Gates, with times of tension and suspense as the two snipers wait for each other to appear and for the right moment to give the other one a last second of life, at times touching and moving because of the Russian spirit, the love that Tanya and Vasilij shared, the realism of the movie which is hard to portray - there is not a moment of it being unrealistic, too romantic or sappy. It is just pure harsh life of the people in Stalingrad - Russia's last hope.
If you've got some experience with war movies and you know it's your taste, you definitely won't be disappointed by this movie - it will only move you to various emotions which you will experience throughout the movie. I can tell you I'm really thrilled and I'm happy to have the video at home.
Rating:
Summary: A very nice movie about World War II in Russia
Review: This movie is a remake of Ozerov's Angels of Death (highly recommended, available only in original version, so you have to understand Russian).
For Westerners trying to make a "Russian movie", this is a great success. Beautiful acting, although I did not like Khruschev (he looked different and was not vicious as portrayed by Hoskins).
Rating:
Summary: Best War Drama Ever
Review: "Enemy At The Gates" was an excellent and carefully planned war film. I have read an incredible amount of negative reviews on this movie and I can say just one thing about it - it's one of the greatest movies I have ever seen, because it is realistic - more so than in other war movies. "Enemy At The Gates" portrays the Russians and the Germans exactly the way they were back then in World War II. The setting of the film is wonderful - showing Stalingrad as a city of ruins destroyed by the war and bombs. The actors are all wonderful - their intensity and psychological emotions are shown right there in their faces. I think the actors have done an excellent job on making this movie come alive and seem real - it worked! Even the romance between Tanya (Rachel Weisz) and Vassilli (Jude Law) is shown realistically. There were no sweet and sappy romantic scenes like in true Hollywood movies. These were too tough and harsh times to get really carried away with passion. The story is definitely interesting and original as well. It depicts a duel between two excellent snipers, Konig and Zaitsev. Amidst the brutal conditions in the ruins of Stalingrad, the two snipers seek each other out all the time, making the movie full of suspense and intensity. All in all, I think this movie IS worthy of 5 stars I am giving it. Definitely. Just see it for yourself and you will see what I am talking about! Go for it and watch it - you won't regret!
Rating:
Summary: Much Better than Assumed
Review: Not being interested in "another war movie", and one about snipers certainly seemed potentially boring, i rented this movie on the recommendation of a brilliant friend. It was much better than expected originally. The developers managed to create a drama moreso than just a "shoot em up blood and guts". They even threw in a little seedy romance. I recommend this movie, particularly to those with an eye to history or the History Channel. Very interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Europe does Hollywood - and makes all the same mistakes
Review: This is a European film which aims to crack the American market but ends up making almost all of Hollywood's mistakes. The concept is a great one: a lowly Russian sniper and an intellectual propagandist together inspire the Red Army to repel the Germans from Stalingrad and effectively stop Hitler in his tracks. It begins well enough with a spectacular and bloody crossing of the Volga, and a very efficient introduction of Danilov (Fiennes) and Vassili (Law). But it's all downhill from there. The problem is a wandering screenplay which collapses under the weight of an utterly redundant love story involving the beautiful, talented and horribly miscast Rachel Weisz. With their abrupt changes in lighting and clunky editing, many of the romantic scenes appear to have been shot and inserted later, probably after preview screenings failed to ignite the American female audience. If so, we can blame the producers more that the writers. The whole film might have been better if the rivalry between Danilov and Vassili had centered on their differing social positions, and not their shared love of a woman. In doing so, it could have articulated the internal contradictions of Russia and neatly foreshadowed the social envy which ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. A few scenes and vestigial lines of dialogue suggest this may have been the thrust of the original screenplay, and it's a pity this theme was jettisoned to make way for a soggy, soap-opera romance. Overall, this was a very disappointing film which had me wondering how much better it could have been in the hands of someone like Nikita Mikhalkov ('Burnt By The Sun') and with a Russian and German cast. But there was one thing they did get right: unlike so many recent films, the use of CGI in the battle scenes was thoughtful, controlled and highly effective. Well done, Double Negative and Richard Bain.
Rating: 
Summary: A Duel To The Death
Review: A reasonably competent portrayal of the siege of Leningrad in the 2nd world war, by the director of 'Seven Years In Tibet' and 'Name Of The Rose'. The main protagonists are a Russian sniper Zaitsev ( Jude Law ) and a German sniper Major Konig ( Ed Harris ) who is brought in to kill Zaitsev and destroy his talismanic value to the Russians. There is a love triangle between Zaitsev, Tania ( Rachel Weitz ) and Danilov ( Joseph Fiennes ) which is also a main part of the plot. The action scenes and sets, with Leningrad as a bombed to destruction city of the dead are well done, but there have been so many good war films of this type eg. Cross Of Iron, Stalingrad, full Metal Jacket, that the film would have to have a stronger script and more impressive acting to really stand out from the crowd. 125 mins. long, but lacking the real epic quality of the films mentioned. More should have been done with the script to create greater empathy for the characters; Jude Law's acting ranges from very good to average, there is one particular scene where he attempts to put on an 'I'm thinking' face that is over the top. There is drama, but the film score is inadequate as it does little to create tension or excitement. Ed Harris gives the strongest performance in the film all steely eyes and controlled violence. The accents are interestingly inconsistent, the Germans sounding English or English with a German accent and Krushchev ( Bob Hoskins ) has a half cockney, half Russian accent. The film is worth seeing, just don't expect to be bowled over and try not to compare it with other more impressive war films, at least not until the end. ( reviewed by Melchizedeck )
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: This is a movie about a hero who rises at the Battle of Stalingrad to give hope to the Soviets in a war that was not going very well for the Red Army. Detractors from this movie tend to fall into two categories. The first are those who wanted to see a different type of movie. They want to see a movie about the total battle. I'd like to see a "Longest Day" type movie on the Battle of Stalingrad. But that's a different typeof movie. The other are those who have no knowledge of history. Those think the movie was some sort of spoof. When the command came down from Stalin that the Red Army was to give no more ground to the Nazis, it was carried out with ruthlessness if necessary. It's a good movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Inaccurate and insulting WARNING: SPOILERS
Review: This movie is about as accurate as a blind man firing a zip gun. It deviates about as far as you can get from the truth and still be talkng about the same war, much less front. Almost every aspect of this movie is completely wrong. I would list them all except I would exceed the 1,000 words limit. But one very sore point: the bastardization of the ending. The girl steps on a land mine and dies from organ failure in real life. Not this crap ending of the movie. ARGH! If you want a reasonably accurate version of this story, go and buy War of the Rats. It's a book. You read it. Actually that book was what made me so excited when I heard this movie was coming out. Afterwards I just wanted to maul the director with a wrench.
Rating:
Summary: top of my list of true war stories
Review: this movie i rented after watching it i had to own it maybe because its based on a true man. this movie starts off great its very sad what russia went thru they kept hanging onto there country during there battle with germany you really have to watch it pay attention russia did not have enough guns to fight a war the things they put there young men thru get the dvd you can get information on this man after i watched this i needed the other true story of men of honor another top of my list both of these are keepers forever.
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