Upcomingmovies.com
March 2001
By Greg Dean Schmitz

You know the Cold War has been over long enough to be history when a major studio releases an expensive war epic from the U.S.S.R.'s point of view. To get an idea of how unlikely that would have been 20 years ago, imagine a Hollywood epic about the heroic lads of Iraq or Cuba. The exclusivity of what it takes for a story to get a greenlight in Hollywood is why there are still so many great true stories yet to be told, and Enemy at the Gates, depending upon how truthful you think it is (varying authors and experts dispute the existence of Tania, the heroine played by Rachel Weisz, and even the German sniper played by Ed Harris) is one such example.

Enemy at the Gates treads an admirable line between war epic stereotypes (the reason they're stereotypes is that they often work) and elements that are unique to the Battle of Stalingrad, such as the ruthlessness with which Russian officers punish cowardous infantry, and the intricacies of navigating the ruins of an industrial city. Even though much of its 131 minutes is spent in nailbiting silence and anticipation, the waiting never turns to boredom, as it's like watching two chessmasters (don't knock until you've tried it; timed chess is a surprisingly fascinating spectator sport). We soon learn that there is an art to snipery, complete with Survivor-style strategy (paraphrasing, "I could make him think I'm here, while I'm actually over there, except he's expecting a distraction, so I won't move at all.").

When Enemy at the Gates is focusing on the cat & mouse maneuverings between Law and Harris, it's in top form. There's also a love triangle between Vassili, Tania, and the Political Officer who has used Vassily for propaganda (Fiennes). This story is harder to follow towards the end, but it also ties in with fluidly with the harsh image of Russian officers the film starts with. I'm quite sure patriotic Russians aren't going to appreciate some of the things one character does to undermine Vassili's safety. One of the most interesting characters is Sasha, a young boy who travels between both Nazi and Soviet camps, dangerously acting as a sort of double-spy. With German roots (actually this is true for several characters, including Perlman's engaging veteran sniper), we don't know for sure where Sasha's alliance lies, and that makes him a welcome addition to the mix.

The art direction crew met the challenge of recreating besieged Stalingrad, with flying colors, with massive sets that trump other recent war films (the finale town in Saving Private Ryan, as good as it was, specifically). Some of the early battle scenes don't compare as well (the first 10 minutes do seem cloned from SPR), but once Vassily gets his hands on a rifle, Enemy at the Gates becomes its own film. As to the actors, even though Law and Harris spend so much time in quiet waiting (and the many closeups this brings), this isn't a film that relies too heavily on their acting skills. Which is to say, Law and Harris are both fine actors; but neither is challenged... not that they needed to be to make this an engaging film. The story would've been helped by less flip-flopping by Tania (Is she a sniper? Is she a translator? There's not enough time to make her quandary stick effectively), and indeed, Fiennes' officer character didn't need to be involved romantically with her at all (his role could've been much smaller). All in all, this is still an effective war epic that will take its unique place in the genre, as a respectful Western telling of a distinctly Eastern battle.