Overlooked sniper film full of power, emotion

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2003)

It surprises me that this film did not receive very much attention upon its release. It definitely deserved it, because "Enemy at the Gates" is a powerful and intense war film that centers on a type of soldier that rarely gets a full movie devoted to it: the sniper. This film's major accomplishment is that it shows the maddening and awful pressure-filled world of the sniper. Centering around Vassili Zaitsev, a young up-and-coming Russian private who has amazing shooting accuracy, the film not only shows the awfulness of battle and the carnage of war (with the Russians killing their own attempting-to-flee soldiers), but how the media turns Vassili into a hero-even though he is chafing under the constraints of his new role. Thus, "Enemy at the Gates" is simultaneously an action-packed war drama and a grim media satire. The peformances are high-quality, with Jude Law as Vassili, Joseph Fiennes as his tormented friend Danilov, and Rachel Weisz as Tania Chernova, the woman who tears the two apart. Also, Bob Hoskins is coarse and humorous as Nikita Khrushkev, while Gabriel Thomson gives an excellent portrayal as Sacha Filipov, the Russian boy who attempts to play both sides against eachother-but learns that one does not mess with the Nazis as easily as one would like to. The standout, however, is the incomparable Ed Harris as Major Konig, a master Nazi sniper who the Germans bring in to take out Vassili. Harris' performance is one of his lesser-known roles, but it shows his mastery of understatement. In fact, it is his character's very emotionlessness that makes him all the more frightening. There are amazing battle sequences (the early Russian vs. German, where the Russians are basically mowed down, is heartbreaking in its futility, as there is a packet of ammo and a gun for every two soldiers), and the final moments between Konig and Vassili show Law and Harris at the top of their game (the quiet physical statement Harris makes at the end is a perfect representation of his character). Also, the love story is as heartfelt as it is desperate. Many comments say this section of the movie was "clumsy" and "unnecessary". I disagree, I feel that the attraction between Tania and Vassili is beautiful, while Fiennes is perfect in expressing the pain-filled jealousy of Danilov. These important relationships are what leads up the final shocking moments-without the love story, the film loses much of its power. Truly, "Enemy at the Gates" is a worthy film-at least better than "Windtalkers".