"Enemy" Doesn't Quite Make It To The "Gates"

Rating: 5/10 (20 March 2001)

In war, during a prolonged battle-- the outcome of which will be pivotal to the efforts of both sides-- death becomes a fact of life and the decline of morale among the troops follows in it's wake. What better way, then, to bolster the spirits of those who must fight and die than by giving them a hero? For once established, even if he is killed, the hero will have served his purpose, for the martyr is just as potent in death as the hero is in life. In `Enemy At the Gates,' directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the Russians and Germans, in September of 1942, have reached an impasse during the siege of Stalingrad. Casualties continue to mount on both sides and the Russians especially are beginning to feel the weight of what seems to be a futile effort, though this is the city that must not fall to the enemy at any cost. When Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) arrives to take charge and solicits ideas from his officers as to how they may turn the tide of the battle, a young political officer in charge of propaganda, Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) steps forward and proffers a hero, a soldier from among the ranks he knows to be a marksman of exceptional ability. His name is Vasily Zaitsev (Jude Law), and with Danilov's newspaper touting his exploits, Vasily soon becomes the hero of the Russian people who rallies them to the cause. Quickly aware of the situation, however, the Germans waste no time in bringing in a sharpshooter of their own, Major Konig (Ed Harris), specifically for the purpose of hunting down and eliminating Zaitsev. And so, in the pitch of battle, the duel between the two becomes the focus of attention, the outcome of which will seemingly be viewed as victory or defeat by and for the armies of both sides.	Early in the film, Annaud creates a sense of urgency and tension that promises to sweep you along to the climax, and the anticipation of an involving emotional experience at that point is high. Unfortunately, even as the siege reaches an impasse, so does the film. About half way through it all begins to sputter, and you begin to get the feeling that the promises made at the beginning will never be fulfilled. And you're right. Failing to elicit the necessary emotional involvement from the audience, it finally stalls altogether and by the time you get to the end it seems almost anticlimactic. Overall, the film suffers from it's own ambition; it attempts to be of a much larger scale and more profound than it really is. Annaud apparently intended to make a sweeping epic and an intimate, character driven film at the same time, but the formula for any success in the endeavor eluded him. By interjecting and concentrating on too many elements involving the relationships between the characters, he minimizes the importance of the duel itself, and thereby diminishes the impact of it--especially the outcome-- that greatly affects the success of the film. Distracting as well is the fact that all of the Russians have class-distinctive British accents, which makes their credibility a bit hard to swallow.	The high point of the film would have to be Jude Law's performance as the sniper, Vasily Zaitsev. He manages enough emotional depth and lends a bearing to the character that make him believable, though there is one lapse near the end when during a particularly emotional scene he briefly slips into a such a `Cockney' dialect that it takes you out of the moment. That one exception aside, it's a solid performance. Ed Harris delivers a notable performance, as well, though far removed from the best work he's ever done. Though he affects a fairly stoic countenance, he never quite achieves the enigmatic quality that would've made a dramatic impact as a counterpoint to Zaitsev's more overt humanness. Rachel Weisz comports herself well as Tania, the woman who impacts the lives of Danilov and Vasily, but the role is far from challenging. There is some chemistry between her and Law, however, and their scenes together create what little emotional apex there is to the film.	Surprisingly, the low point of the film is the performance given by Joseph Fiennes, a terrific actor who was so outstanding in `Shakespeare In Love.' Any depth of character he achieves here, as Danilov, seems feigned, and his whole delivery is simply too melodramatic to be entirely effective. As the director, of course, Annaud is the one who must ultimately be held accountable for it. And it illustrates just how much impact the expertise (or lack thereof) of the director can have on a film, for even the best actors must rely on the instincts of their director, as well as their own, to keep them on task.	The supporting cast includes Ron Perlman (Koulikov), Gabriel Thomson (Sasha) and Eva Mattes (Mother Filipov). Though based on a true story, and dealing with a significant historical event-- that being the battle of Stalingrad itself-- `Enemy At the Gates,' simply does not deliver what could have been an engrossing cinematic experience. It's not a bad movie, by any means, and it certainly has it's moments; but in the final analysis, it's just another movie, and not a very memorable one at that. I rate this one 5/10.