Half baked

Rating: 2/10 (28 November 2003)

If it is true that Soviet leaders fought WWII by mindlessly sacrificing their own unarmed soldiers by the thousands, and that the few high caliber Soviet machine guns at the front lines were reserved for the sole use of killing their own troops... well, ENEMY AT THE GATES does not make the case very convincingly.
ENEMY AT THE GATES lacks the credibility needed to introduce such exceptional ideas. Missing is the art, passion and intellect of Oliver Stone. Missing is the poetry, pacing and over-the-top action of John Woo.

A smaller problem comes from there being three love scenes while at the same time the lovers have no access to basic hygiene. There is such filth all around. The characters are so dirty and cruddy, they would obviously smell too bad to want to go so close to each other. All the dead and rotting bodies were OK, but the two unclean lovers were unintentionally revolting to watch because all that comes to mind is how stench-ridden they both must smell. Gross-a-rama. Gag me with a spoon.