Had the potential to be a classic...

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2001)

*Some minor spoilers*
The film started very well, the grand opening sequence a very obvious 'look and learn' at Saving Private Ryan, although the excellent cinematography was spoiled somewhat by the needless orchestral score underneath - yes we know it's a very grim war scene thank you. The score served to take away an element of the depressing situation of Stalingrad, which the film should be trying to exploit. Just the noise of bombs, shouting and the like would have been far more powerful.
The acting and character development was pretty subtle (a very impressive performance by Joseph Fiennes) and the atmosphere created was genuinely gripping. Even the casting of Bob Hoskins as Nikita Kruschev worked.
So during the first half of the film I was convincing myself that this had what it takes to be a classic, a kind of cross between the best pyschological elements in Alien, with the cinematography techniques of Ryan and (gasp) a plot that unlike Ryan, wasn't (quite) patently ridiculous. And also the portrayal of the Russians (and lack of Americans) was quite refreshing.
But then unfortunately it all went a bit pear shaped thanks to the uneccessary shoe-horning in of a fairly pointless love interest, Tania Chernova (poorly acted by Rachel Weisz) which extended the film beyond my (and, it appeared, a large amount of the cinema audiences) attention span and served only to irritate. A couple of points:
1) Yes, I know it's a British film and the introduction of the 'bird' will give it extra box-office takings, especially in the US.

2) Yes, I know that it will draw more people to see the film than would neccessarily be the case (and they would learn something about a historical event, which can't be a bad thing).
But what I object to was its 'forced' insertion. During the first half of the film Chernova was a plot element and it was obvious that something would happen, but it was kept as background to the main story and fairly well woven in, without distracting from the point. And then suddenly during the film it's like "Damn, we've got this character and we'd better do something with her, otherwise we'll have the execs on backs" - so cue her subtle (as a sledgehammer) pasting all over the screen, detracting (badly) from what was a fantastic plot and character devlopment.
Sad, as I feel that this reduced the film to an above-average MOR war flick, which was a shame really. Yet another lesson that Brit films can't 'do' (and probably shouldn't want to do) vacuous Hollywood love scmaltz techniques (unless it stars Hugh Grant of course).
7/10.