Not a waste of time

Rating: 8/10 (3 December 2002)

Well, this won't be my favorite movie. I wasn't stunned by it; it didn't make me think too hard (aside from asking my military historian husband for some background about the battle involved). But it's a pretty good film. The sniper scenes are tense without feeling dragged-out. There were some elements that kept me guessing throughout the movie, and I have to confess that some of my cocky assumptions (regarding who would die, mostly) were completely wrong. There were a few less-than-believable moments (how exactly DID those three or four pieces of glass all manage to line up exactly so that Konig could see Vassili's reflection in all of them?) but nothing to ruin the movie.
Overall, this is a good one to watch if you like war movies. It has no doubt irritated thousands of pacifists who dislike the glorification of the skills it depicts, so don't watch it if you're inclined to gripe about movies that have too much violence or make war look too heroic. Otherwise, give it a try; I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Note: I checked to confirm my suspicion that the music was done by James Horner. If you listen carefully you'll hear a few of his themes from previous movies re-done for this score.