Enemy at the Gates

Pros: Doesn't make war pretty or heroic or noble.
Cons: Will be too intense for most viewers.

This is not an easy film to watch. It is bleak, it is awful, grimy, and bestial. It all really happened too.

The time is 1942, the Germans have pressed deep into the Soviet Union, and there is one last defense between them and the oil fields...

Pros: Amazing true story
Cons: made into a bad movie

"Enemy at the Gates" is based on the true story of Vassili Zaitsev, an uneducated, orphaned shepherd from the Urals, and a Russian soldier in WWII. Zaitsev was elevated to the status of icon during the war due both to his skill as a sniper and a...

Pros: An excellent story, some good acting and solid directing.
Cons: None

General Nikita Khrushchev: You won't give up the bridge. I don't care if you lost half your men. Lose the other half. Lose yourself…! Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud Jude Law as Russian Sniper Vassili Zaitsev Ed Harris as German Sniper ...

Pros: Acting, sets, storyline is compelling.
Cons: Too many loose ends; sub-plot not fully developed.

Historical Background/Perspective On June 22 1941, Germany and its Axis allies (principally Italy, Austria, & Romania) invaded the Soviet Union, quickly advancing deep into Soviet territory. This after Hitler and Stalin signed a ...

Pros: Excellent cinematography which shows in vivid detail the hardships of Mother Russia in 1942
Cons: Writing not too crisp and characters not fully developed

I realize that not everybody on this site are from the USA. That is one of the most appealing aspects of the site to me. The reason I mention this is that I was going to start this review with this comment: "We Americans are spoiled . Other than...

Pros: World War II from often untold perspective; Ed Harris
Cons: Predictable, slows down too much toward end

"Enemy At The Gates" is a based-on-fact portrait of courage in the face of all sorts of opposition. This movie, set during the 1942-43 battle for Stalingrad between the Soviets and the Nazis, stars Jude Law as Vassili Zaitsev, a Soviet soldier who gains...

Pros: Mesmerizing cinematography that tries not to glamorize killing -
Cons: The faces are too clean and the eyes too clear. War dulls everything -

THE CAST


Joseph Fines plays Political Officer 2nd Class Danilov. Danilov [we never learn if that is his given or family name] breaks the common soldiers’ common vow – he volunteers. In that act he becomes the man who is...

Pros: Nice action sequences, some intense moments
Cons: Everybody stays dirty!

Enemy At The Gates is one of the better movies so far this year. It pales in comparison to Saving Private Ryan, although this is a different kind of movie. I think it will do pretty well at the box office, even though there isn't a single American...

Pros: Outstanding set design and cinematography worthy of the best war movies.
Cons: They should have shot the writers.

The only thing that saves “Enemy at the Gates” from the trash heap of celluloid-dom is that by the time you realize how bad it is, you are so immersed in the outstanding set design and atmospherics that you almost don’t care.

Almost....

Pros: What's not to like? It's a masterpiece.
Cons: The German bombers fly in at 2000 feet instead of the correct 3000. (haha)

Master director Jean-Jacques Annaud and his talented cast and crew truly come to the fore with Enemy ...

Pros: The set construction is beyond amazing. The visions of bombed-out Stalingrad were almost too good.
Cons: The pacing, editing, dialogue and screenplay were not very good.

As we get further and further from our last great global conflict, filmmakers are finding it more and more difficult to tell fresh stories about World War II and the people that made it go. Most of our film experiences with the war feature the brave...

Pros: Excellent characterizations. Wonderful set and depiction of Stalingrad. Fine cast. Entertaining and believable.
Cons: None

Enemy at The Gates is a movie I simply saw for the sake of it. There was nothing else to watch, it looked like it might be OK and Rachel Weisz has been impressing me with her performances lately. I hadn't really seen too much of the rest of...

Pros: Successful capture of the atmosphere with excellent visual quality
Cons: Lacks good characterizations, no real drama, visuals overpower story

Steel gray skies, black plumes of smoke, and a dreary coldness, only equaled by the likes of Dr. Zhivago, is the atmosphere of, “Enemy at the Gates.” It is based on the true story of Vassili Zeitsev, a young Russian soldier who became a crack sniper and...

Pros: Superbly staged battle sequences, admirable production design and impressive cinematography
Cons: Contrived screenplay, manipulative direction, inept acting, intrusive music

Beware of any W.W. II movie in which you find yourself rooting for the murderous Nazi! Because of unfortunate casting choices, that's just what happens in this otherwise impressive epic set during the bloody battle of Stalingrad in '42 and '43,...

Pros: Effort went into making this movie.
Cons: A war movie that contains too much cute dialogue and subthemes.

I am prompted to write a review on Enemy at the Gates right after I’ve seen it because it sucked so much. It was just ridiculous. The film gets two stars because of some breathtaking cinematography and, in general, it seems a lot of effort was...