Uninvolving WW2 actioner

Rating: Null/10 (28 August 2001)

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Enemy at the Gates is a hugely disappointing war/action flick.With a talented cast,impressive director and an intriguing premise,it is such a let down that the end result is such a meandering,boring mess.The opening battle scene had potential,like a lot of other things with this flick did,but it appears strangely tatty and cardboardish.The remaining action sequences throughout the film are too slow moving and droll to really appeal to anybody .The end showdown between the two main characters has an impressive air and substance to it,but is so anti-climatic it ruins it all.Jean Jaques Annaud's direction is overly stretched out and the film is painfully overlong running over the two hour mark.On the performances front,Josepth Fiennes is a poor man's Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List,Jude Law is an unappealing action man,Ed Harris turns in an especially blank,stationary peformance as the bad guy and Bob Hoskins is completely unrecognisable as a Russian commanderAnd we leave off in the end in doubt as to whether this is a true story or not.If it is,then maybe real life is more boring than the movies.**