Could have been a LOT better

Rating: Null/10 (17 December 2001)

This movie is not nearly as good as it should be. If the intent was to mirror William Craig's book of the same name, it doesn't. Zaitsev was a small part of the book. The book dealt with the entire battle, and the movie would have been better if it had been done like THE LONGEST DAY or A BRIDGE TOO FAR, with the real-life people portrayed. The movie was much closer to David Robbins' WAR OF THE RATS, which focuses on Zaitsev and his duel with the German sniper, as well as his relationship with Tanya and friendship with Danilov. Still, any movie that features a 1,000 yard head shot of a running, jumping man, as well as a shot of Rachel Weisz's very attractive butt, can't be all bad. Call it 5 out of 10.