fine production and acting, weak love story

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2002)

I have a great interest in history, and thought it was admirable to see a big budget film depicting the Battle of Stalingrad - Americans are woefully unaware of the suffering on the eastern front of World War II. The production values of the film do get a across the historical scope of the battle and the wanton loss of life, and often the humanity of those involved does shine through (Ron Perlman was very good, I thought).
But the dramatic arc of the characters and their love story woefully mismatched the scope of the events surrounding them, despite the fine actors involved. I felt the screenwriters straining to force the love triangle onto a story that really didn't need it. And to me that greatly diminished the movie, because it missed the chance to tell a powerful story about a subject almost ignored in Hollywood.