Good but some holes in the ending

Rating: 7/10 (5 September 2001)

I really enjoyed the film, special effects at the beginning were good and it was nice to have people speaking in something other other than American accents (although paradoxically they still used American idioms). Not withstanding this comment I agree with others that Russian accents would have been the most appropriate here.
Acting was above average and I found the story gripping. Although I might add that I am not the kind of person that has to constantly have car chases and shoot outs to hold my attention.
SPOILER
Where I found the film failed was in the credibility of some details in the plot. For example at the end how did the Russian sniper Vasily get around the side of the German Koenig, when the German was watching his position like a hawk? How could Koening make a clumsy mistake, walking out in the open and exposing himself to attack when he had been so clever earlier? Why was he so slow catching on that the boy he knew was a Russian spy?
In addition I have been told that the ending was changed from the book so that Vasily's girlfriend Tania lives, to give the typical Hollywood happy ending. True to form the Germans are stereotyped as very bad, as in Schindlers list. But then given the ethnic origins of many in Hollywood it would be hard to expect objectivity in this regard.