A great war film that doesn't involve the US.

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2002)

I've scanned several comments placed on the imdb board about Enemy at the Gates, and felt a need to respond. I really enjoyed this film, with a few exceptions, and feel some of the posts are a bit over the top in negativity.
My theory is that this film is so overlooked because it doesn't involve the US, rather two "enemy" nations - the USSR and Nazi Germany. If the US was involved, more things would have been forgiven in this film. Enemy at the Gates attempts to move the audience's attention away from the uniforms and towards the people involved in the battle. Yes, it is framed in a hero-versus-villain narrative, where we all cheer for the underdog, but it is done more intelligently than (for instance) Saving Private Ryan with its "USA all the way" sentimentality.
The complaints about the use of accents are totally misplaced. Did anyone else notice that the Russians spoke with english accents while the Nazis spoke in american accents? Does anyone else think this is deliberate? I certainly do. Arguing that the accents takes the attention away from the film because they were different to what they should be ("Ze germans! Ze germans!") are rather short-sighted. The accents were used to differentiate the conflicting sides to the audience, nothing more.
I also found the romance a little tacked on to the movie, but it isn't that distracting. It does contain a realistic element or two, and serves to give the characters something to loose and / or fight over.
The real thrill is the battle between the two snipers. Leaving behind huge explosions at the films climax, it all comes down to a battle of skill and patience. Good war films reduce the conflict of thousands into a conflict of just a few people (in this case two) that the movie follows. Enemy at the Gates does this successfully.
Parts of this film are flawed. It does seem to follow the dramatic structure of Saving Private Ryan in dropping us straight into a horrific battle where one in every two Russian soldiers is given a rifle and the other is told to pick it up when the holder dies. Still, the technique works and does grab you. Parts of the film also feel a bit cliched (eg the love triangle) but a solid cast does manage to lift above this. Ed Harris is fantastic and Jude Law does a very solid job.
Finally, for all those people who went "there was no gate and no enemy standing at it", well... sheesh. I'll explain it for you, since you obviously missed the film's explanation. Stalingrad was seen as a key city for the Nazis to overtake if they were to conquer the USSR. If Stalingrad fell, it was a) a slap in the face to Stalin who oh-so-modestly named it, and b) it was then a short trip to the capital (St Petersberg? Leningrad? I forget!) and victory. The Nazis were the enemies at the gate of the USSR's capital. Easy.