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Enemy at the Gates Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud Starring Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz,Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, Ron Perlman, Gabriel Thomson, Eva Mattes, Matthias Habich, Sophie Rois, Mikhail Matveyev, Alexander Schwan, Dan van Husen, Hans Martin Stier, Robert Stadlober What are we to make of a film that presents itself as thinly-fictionalized history and yet follows a standard Hollywood formula? Do we take the film to task for its presumption and enormous historical flaws, or do we ignore its ludicrous claims of authenticity and judge it as we would any big-budget movie? Your answer to that question will determine how much you enjoy Enemy at the Gates. Based on the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, Enemy at the Gates focuses on a young Soviet sniper named Vassily Zaitsev (played by Jude Law, Talented Mr. Ripley). Thrust into one of the worst battlefields of the war, Vassily distinguishes himself by his heroism and extraordinary skill with a rifle. His story is publicized by a Red Army desperate for heroes, and soon Vassily is the toast of a nation. The Nazis aren't particularly enamored of young Vassily, so they send the best sharpshooter in the entire Third Reich, Major Konig (Ed Harris, The Truman Show), to track him down. The film revolves around the two snipers' various attempts to eliminate the other. Providing narrative distractions of the philosophical and romantic sort are, respectively, a Soviet soldier named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love) and the beautiful Tania (Rachel Weisz, The Mummy). I won't give away much of the plot, since you can probably fill most of it in yourself. The film's one distinction is that both of the snipers are honorable men. There aren't too many movies that make a Nazi officer out to be a good guy, but Konig is, in fact, quite admirable. Even when he commits a dastardly act, you almost feel sorry that he has to step beneath his own morals. And as he gets closer and closer to his prey, the audience isn't trembling with fear but merely watching with interest. This lack of tension is a serious problem for the film. On three or four occasions, Vassily and Konig are hunkered down, waiting for the other to make a mistake. But there's never any doubt that both will make it through to the next scene--we all know the movie's not ending before Vassily and Tania go to bed together or before the final, DRAMATIC conclusion. So, what's worthwhile about Enemy at the Gates? Well, it's got a big budget, as the enormous bombed-out sets can attest. The Battle of Stalingrad was probably the most terrible conflict of the 20th century, and Wolf Kroeger's production design conveys that with authority. Crumbling buildings, desolate landscapes, and lots and lots of gray remind us over and over that war is hell. The movie also has a strong cast, though authenticity clearly wasn't on the filmmakers' minds. I mean, do Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes strike you as young Soviet soldiers? Of course not. They're just young stars on the rise, with enough international glamour and credibility to sell tickets. Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa) shows up pretending to be Nikita Krushchev, though the point of his character is never clear. And no one, and I mean no one, would ever confuse Rachel Weisz with a Russian soldier, much less the heroic sniper she plays here. Only the stoic Ed Harris seems to fit his part. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud (Seven Years in Tibet) has clearly watched Saving Private Ryan a few times, so many of the big set pieces feel strangely repetitive; but cinematographer Robert Fraisse (The Lover) does a nice job with his grim, gray palette. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of James Horner's syrupy score. Someone really must tell him to lay off the overbearing choral parts. As I sat down to watch
Enemy at the Gates, I was reminded how much I enjoy going to the movies.
I know it doesn't seem like it from my more recent reviews, but I do get
a thrill every time the lights go down. Not every film, including Enemy
at the Gates, can fulfill that promise, but I'm looking forward to
better things this spring.
J. Robert Parks 3/17/2001
There are still a number
of great movies in the theaters, however, such as:
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