ENEMY AT THE GATES
Starring: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris
Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Distributed by: Paramount

Date: 4/1/01
By: Rice

    Snipers have always had a certain mystique surrounding them. I mean, Rambo's pretty badass and all, but it's so yesterday, much like Stallone himself. Snipers... they're the trend now. Cool, calm, and completely cold blooded, they patiently await their prey and *BOOM!* in one swift shot they execute their victim without blinking an eye.

    Enemy At The Gates takes place in World War II circa the time when Hitler's Nazi's held most of Europe and is advancing on Mother Russia. Its opening scene pays tribute to the recent great war film Saving Ryan's Privates... err... Private Ryan. Soldiers are shipped in to Stalingrad to protect it from blitzkreiging Nazi's as they get completely raped by shrapnels, bullets, and artillery. Those with sensitive internal organs should shy away from this film.

"AHH! Leggo my Eggo!!!"

    So from there, Jude Law's character manages to be one of the only survivors. His character's name is something rather complex in Russian, and I'm too lazy to look for it online, so I'll just refer to him as V. As you may know from the previews, V emerges as one of the Red Army's premiere snipers. Perenially underappreciated Joseph Fiennes stars as V's compadre, an intelligent and nerdy political officer in charge of war propaganda. Fiennes's character, whom I'll call D, spotlights V on the front page of newspapers as a hero and killer of German officers.

    Naturally, it pisses the Nazi's off that they have to promote fifteen peons a day to sergeant cuz V's picking them off like apples from a tree. They send in their big gun played by Ed Harris to take care of the Russian wunderkind. Since German names aren't any easier, I'll call him Major K. The core of Enemy At The Gates is the showdown between V and Major K. Young vs. Old. Talent vs. Experience.

Ed Harris is a Nazi bastard.

    Some of the most tense moments I've ever experienced at a theater are from scenes in EatG when the two snipers try to outwit each other. Law and Harris were great in their roles. The former being extremely gifted, but somewhat doubtful of his true potential while the latter is steely eyed, hardened, and impossible to trick. Whenever the movie focuses on this matchup, it's great entertainment.

    However, the script also throws in some wartime romance. Ever since Casablanca, every damn movie seems to have a requisite for romance. It seemed relatively unnecessary at some points, although one sex scene is appreciated (not to mention kind of funny). I guess it's to show the humanistic side of these soldiers, but it feels more like dead weight than anything else.

Getting down and dirty. Literally.

    Another aspect to appreciate from EatG is its settings. The ruins of Stalingrad are truly a sight to behold. It beats the living daylights out of Gladiator, in my opinion. Buildings being constantly bombed have been reduced to rubble as the snipers hide between the most obscure crevices. Underground shelters are grimy and gritty, barely able to sustain life. It portrayed an image of resiliancy in Russian soldiers holding their ground against a seemingly invincible Nazi force. Not grand like the Roman Colessium, to be sure, but it definitely made an impact on how we viewed the movie.

    Enemy at the Gates is good for some solid entertainment. Considering I got the ticket for a mere $4.00, catching the matinee's of matinee's, it was an unbeatable value. The unnecessary romantic and political entanglements make the movie slow in certain points, but if you can see past that, Law, Harris, and Fiennes put on a great performance. The movie was rather long, and if the producers had trimmed out those parts, it would have been no less than a lean, mean, fighting machine.

"What'd you say to me, punk?"

Grade: B+
-- Good overall entertainment. Movie drags occasionally. Events jump around randomly sometimes.

Babe-o-meter: C+
-- Rachel Weisz is a newcomer in my book. She's OK. Unfortunately, she's covered in war grime most of the time. Brownie points are awarded for a sex scene w/ Jude Law.