Rating: 
Summary: Destiny chooses him
Review: The Nazi's are at the height of thier power. The German army is charging threw the Soviet Union. The ruins of the city of Stalingrad stands as a symbol of Russia's brave resistance and Hitler's army is determined to capture it. The hope of the Russians lies on a young sniper named Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). Propaganda produced by Vassili's friend Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) turns him into a local hero. Vassili begins to cause problems for the German army when he targets thier officers. The Germans dispatch thier best sniper Major Konig (Ed Harris) for the sole purpose of killing Vassili. The two become locked in a game of cat and mouse that may decide the outcome of the war.This was a great movie. It was exciting and tense to watch Konig and Vassili try to outmaneuver each other. Trap after trap and counter maneuver. The experience of Konig shows as Vassili begins to doubt himself. The film also shows the patience and dedication it takes to be a successful sniper. Paramount has put together a great DVD. The transfer is perfect. The audio is excellent and is one of the best DD 5.1 mixes I have heard. There are two featurettes, theatrical trailer and nine additional scenes. If you are a fan of war films this is highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: It's really good but it has problems.
Review: When I first watched this film I thought what an amazing war film. So clever and different. But after watching it on DVD I realised that some of the Hollywood cliches are still there. The acting is pretty incredible from everyone by Weiss. Ed Harris and Jude Law are just excellent as the snipers and convey emotion. Ron Pearlman's breif character is good. Rachel Weiss was flat, dull and for the most part both uninteresting and not needed. The movie loses 2 stars for the following reasons. 1. A boring and typical Hollywood love story that had no place being in the film. 2. The good old Happy Ending. Stalingrad must have been a nightmare of untold proportions. Yet they make sure the ending is a happy one. It would have been far more impactful at the end to have had Weiss character dead and while everyone was dancing and singing Law wandering around wondering what there was to celebrate and of finding out how lonely and unappealing it could be to be a hero. But the happy ending takes away any real need for us to think. Overall it is a film worth owning if for no other reason than Ed Harris.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: The Amazon review got it right - this is essentially a cat and mouse thriller set within an epic battle. Beyond that, we're stuck with an unconvincing love story and even more strange, a cast of actors with English accents who are all supposed to be Russians! At the same time, Ed Harris is the German sniper with an American accent trying to hunt down Jude Law. These annoyances might have been overlooked if it wasn't for the fact that there is little to hold your interest beyond some compelling cinematography.
Rating:
Summary: great actors,large rifles and a magnificent story of WW2
Review: Of the many essential films to the WW2 story,this crucial example of reality during a time of combat fully demonstrates the virtues of the hero-factor,in the case of the story's young soldier that must show his people hope in the ways of a combat-a combat that would bring the ultimate challenge of fear not to his opponent but to himself.This extraordinary release of the millenium not only shows a willing justifiable plot but brings us an almost uncomparable reunion of cinema's best men for the job.Starting the cast with Ed Harris,we see the expectation given to his 'hunter' soldier by the film's cause,and learn that the man resembles the brilliance of 'From Russia with love's s.p.e.c.t.r.e assazin Red Grant which in 1963 was powerfully portrayed by the late Robert Shaw(1927-1979),but Harris' entry holds a touch of heroism,comparable to Jude Law's soviet.Adding up to this level of irony given by Harris we are given another truely great presence Bob Hoskins portraying a crucial Nikita Krushchev.Hoskins is truely admirable in this film as well as the common war element or gift shown by Harris,as well as a great directing chore given by Jean-Jacques Annaud.Even though the film displays newcomer actors Jude Law,Joseph Fiennes,and Rachel Weisz as the stars,Harris and Hoskins through the 'backup' talent of Annaud really give proffessionalism to the film.Fabulous,extraordinary video presentation,but mostly worth buying for the two men that are simply worth watching in combat.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally there's a movie about the Eastern Front
Review: I have studied the Eastern Front for many years, and finally there is a movie I can see about it. The opening scenes, especially on the young Red Army soldiers cross the Volga river into the battlefield, were both realistic and visually stunning; which painted a gruesome and grandiose picture of all the books I have read regarding the battle of Stalingrad. Another strength about the movie is that it showed the tremendous sacrifice and suffering of Russian soldiers who fought on despite tremendous casualty from German fire and NKVD (Soviet State Security forces) executions. I think this film has brilliantly captured the fact that however much the Soviet press in WWII played up the propaganda about personal heroism during the war, the authorities had a total lack of respect for individual lives. According to Antony Beevor's book on Stalingrad, Chuikov, the commander of the Red Army in Stalingrad that disappointingly did not show up in this film, was quoted as saying "Every man must become one of the stones defending Stalingrad." Perhaps the real horror of the battle of Stalingrad was that Russian soldiers were used as discardable weapons in order to defeat the enemy, which utimately saved the world from Nazi domination. The cinematography of the duel between two snipers (Ed Harris and Jude Law) was very good, but I believe too much time was spent on this theme. I did not care for the love story that kind of got stuffed into the movie perhaps to soften up the hard edges of battle. As a war movie, "Eenmy at the Gates" have some obvious weak spots. However, overall I am just very happy to see a well-produced movie on one of the most decisive battles of the Eastern Front, and hope that more films will be made regarding this subject in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant depiction of war, but lacking interest.
Review: "Enemy at the Gates" brings to the screen a realistic depiction of the physical brutalities of war, doing for Stalingrad what "Saving Private Ryan" did for Normandy. The recreation is stylish and vivid, but the movie falls considerably short on any emotional connection or lasting impact once the story ends. The fact that this is a full-force war film does not hinder my interest in it. As a critic, I have come to respect many war films that most people of a general audience would find tedious. The movie begins in such a way, as young Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) arrives on the shores of the Volga River leading to a war-torn Stalingrad. German bomber planes swoop down like vultures on the small transports crossing the river, and a stand-off between the German and Russian armies creates a massive amount of intensity and energy. The recreation is brilliant, but as the movie moves on, its plot begins to hinder. Vassili meets a surviving soldier, Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), whose specialty is propoganda. He uses this to make Vassili a hero in the eyes of soldiers and civilians alike, and soon Vassili is known and hailed by all he meets, including the strong-willed female soldier Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz), and a German sniper who has been sent by the Third Reich to seek out and destroy Vassili. It is here that the disinterest heightens. The movie becomes a cross stitch of cat-and-mouse scenes and an out-of-place love story, both of which generate little sparks. Vassili spends his days in hiding, seeking out the man that has been sent to take his life. Some scenes work, such as a scene in which he is cornered by the German with nothing but a small stove to conceal him. But these scenes become plentiful, and the more there are, the less intriguing they become as we await the final payoff. And after seeing this film, I'm beginning to think that Hollywood is never going to get away with creating a film devoid of a love story. Yes, love stories sometimes work as an emotional outlet for a much bigger event; here, it is unmoving. A scene in which Vassili and Tania make love in the middle of sleeping soldiers makes for little passion, while an exchange of dialogue and kisses before the big finale makes me want to shout, "There's a war going on." All of this is a shame, because director Jean-Jaques Annaud certainly has an eye for an effective war sequence. From our plane's-eye-view of swooping German bombers to large, sudden clouds of dust and smoke filling the air, the dismal and cold atmosphere of war is stunningly portrayed. The bloodshed is high, though does more in the film's favor than against it. War has never been so realistic since "Saving Private Ryan." The cast does commendably well in their parts, though certain characters leave something to be desired. Jude Law is convincing as the stern Vassili, and he shares just enough chemistry with Rachel Weisz so that the love story is believable on a physical level, at least. Joseph Fiennes is enthusiastic as always, but my respect vanished for him by film's end. Ed Harris doesn't say much in the film as the German sniper Konig, and he doesn't have to. His cold looks and rock face make a believer out of us. I wasn't very interested in the story behind "Enemy at the Gates." Somewhere within the depths of its storyline, there is a war epic just screaming to be let out. We get small glimpses of that epic with the intense war images and scenes, but their counterparts are less than interesting. Annaud has created a juggernaut, but I wonder is this is the kind he had in mind.
Rating:
Summary: Enemy at the Gates
Review: When I went to go see this movie I was expecting something along the lines of an action nonfiction movie about the battle of Stalingrad, and two of the most famous snipers of all time. I thought they portrayed the Germans in a bad way. Most Germans in the Wehrmacht in WWII were not Nazis but nice people. I doubt that Major Konings (the German Sniper) would have hung a child or be caught out in the open by Vassili Zaitsev (the Russian Sniper). Another thing I did not like was the love story, it interuppted the true Stalingrad and all the Heroes who fought within. One more part was with the Russians. They had massive artillery amounts which were not revealed in the movie, and were very poor, so they could not afford to forcefully kill one of thier commanders. Besides that, everything else was very realistic and had many parts of excitement that I enjoyed. If you are not as closely linked to history as I am, and you do not know as many details, this will be the right action+thriller for you.
Rating:
Summary: 2nd best WW2 movie
Review: Enemy at the Gates opens with a great battle scene, not as good as the one in Saving Private Ryan, but it still blows you away. This would be my second fave WW2 movie after Saving Private Ryan. One thing interesting is that it's an American made movie, but has no American characters. I saw this in theaters when it first came out, and I'm contemplating whether to buy on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: This is Tight
Review: This movie is so tight man. its like so tight. when i first saw this movie on the plane ride to england it was so tight. peace easy
Rating:
Summary: An average film
Review: This film while done very well and acted admirably lacks any spark between the two sharp shooters. You never feel like they are really that big of enemies. The whole part with them loving the girl was just Hollywood rearing its ugly head. That was totally unecessary and stupid. She had no place in the movie.
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