Enemy at the Gates is no enemy of mine.

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2006)

If you're a war-movie buff like me, you've seen just about all of them: Saving Private Ryan, Hart's War, Windtalkers, Men of Honor, A Few Good Men, We Were Soldiers, U-571--for time and interest' sake, I'll stop there, even though I could rattle titles off for pages and pages to come.
Enemy at the Gates has joined the ranks of these unforgettable war films, which set themselves apart from other films in the genre because men in spit-polished shoes at shoot- 'em-ups is not all that is required. A compelling story has to be the very foundation of the film, there has to be at least a meager amount of activity going on outside of the battle, to serve as a distraction from the chaotic and war-torn events. Enemy at the Gates has the upper-hand to begin with, boasting a powerful concoction of your better actors--Jude Law (The Aviator), Ed Harris (A History of Violence), Joseph Fiennes (The Great Raid), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) and Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents). Its nail biting twists and turns will arrest your attention throughout this solidly-written script by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Seven Years in Tibet) and Alain Godard (Two Brothers), with more than a few unexpected surprises. To keep the ladies immersed until the end of the 131-minute movie, it even has a little romantic sub-plot, which potentially turns out to be the bewitching undoing of the lead character.
The battle takes place during World War II in Stalingrad, Russia, with sharpshooter Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) almost single-handedly bagging the bodies as promptly as they arrive, though things start to look grim for the Russian troops when the Germans move inward, and Commander Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) devise a "brilliant" plan to boost the hope of the civilians with propaganda-laden newspapers. Let the publicity began!
Day after day, the underground newspaper reports on the finest soldiers and their number of kills, with the poster-boy Vassili's mug shot on the front page. But it wasn't all work and no play for Vassili. He drudged on like any soldier at war, and even had a little time for a sweet romance with a neighboring soldier, Tania (Rachel Weisz)--though the citizens of the Iron Curtain weren't the only ones reading the tabloid. The German army had been following the heroic efforts of the Russians and had a hero of their own to trumpet, courtesy of Major Koenig (Ed Harris), a highly-focused soldier who obviously worked his way to the top by being the best at what he did as a marksman. He was sent in to counter the efforts of Russia's finest, whatever the cost, and pulled every trick out of his arsenal to ensure Vassili's defeat, which quickly turns into a game of cat-and-mouse.
The performances in this motion picture were stunning to watch. Jude Law's character starts to develop early on in the film and continues until the curtain comes down and the lights go up, it'll linger with you. And veteran Ed Harris as Major Koenig dazzles with mystique, and an almost expressionless face that speaks loudly (not to mention how charming he looks in a uniform). The location wasn't too shabby either; the scenic mood feeling raw with muted colors, taking you back half a century with the help of Cinematographer Robert Fraisse (Hotel Rwanda).
Enemy at the Gates is no enemy of mine. It'll shake you loose of the slop-stitch handiwork that you have become accustomed to, and raise the bar for craftsmanship in quality movie- making.