A cat-and-mouse duel between two snipers

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2009)

To be perfectly honest, I watched this film mainly because Jude Law stars in it, he's very talented and one of my favorite actors to watch so I decided to give it a try. And I'm glad I did, because Enemy at the Gates is not only a great film but one of the best war films I have seen. The story takes place during World War II and is based on real events: Germans and Russians are fighting over every block of Stalingrad and the city is in ruins. Russian sniper Vassili Zaitsev, (Jude Law) stalks the Germans, taking them out one by one, thus hurting the morale of the German troops. The political officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) leads him on, publishing his efforts to give his countrymen some hope. But Vassili eventually starts to feel that he can not live up to the expectations on him. On top of that he and Danilov fall in love with the same girl, a female soldier called Tanya(Rachel Weisz). From Germany comes the master sniper König (Ed Harris) to put an end to the extraordinary skilled Russian sniper... The film's visual style is grand, the battle scenes are chaotic and extremely well made and so were the sequences that show a devastated Stalingrad. Art directors, editors and cinematographers, all did a terrific job. But the main storyline is the cat-and-mouse duel between the brave and heroic Vassili and the cold and driven König as each sniper tries to stay one step ahead of the other. Jude Law's performance was subtle but very efficient, but his British accent will probably bother the purists. The supporting cast made the most of their roles. A special mention to Ed Harris who was very convincing and menacing as the German Sniper König. Many have commented that the love triangle feels out of place but for me, it's just another side to a great story. Overall, Enemy at the Gates is a very nice film, technically superb, and a must see for those interested in the war.
7.5/10