A powerful film worth watching...

Rating: Null/10 (15 March 2001)

Having just seen a screening, this film is a riveting dramatic adaptation about a respected cat and mouse sniper confrontation. Its engaging, realistically brutal, visually beautiful and very impressive. Being billed as the most expensive pan-European film so far, you can be sure that you won't get the usual gun-ho patriotism that you expect from the Hollywood studios.
The film is set during the most bloodiest of the Russian-German confontation during World War II, the battle for Stalingrad. Seen as a major propaganda coup for the Nazis, the Russians attempt to fight the same battle by finding a heroic figure for inspiration. This idea is brought forward by Danilov (Fiennes) who suggests the person who has just saved him, Vassily Zaitsev (Law), a maverick sniper who must now live up to the expectations that the Russian propaganda has created. The Nazis counteract by bringing in their crack-shot sniper, what follows is a cat and mouse pursuit.
The performances from the lead actors are great, Jude Law, Joseph Finnes and Rachel Weisz hit the mark. Ed Harris' portrayal of the respected Nazi marksman is exceptional, and even Bobby Hoskins' role as the Russian morale-driven general minus the cockney accent is feasible.
The production itself is constructed well; the attention to detail in the production design is awesome, the cinematography and editing is stunning and on par with that of Saving Private Ryan - sometimes surpassing it, the fx are remarkable, James Horner's score is emotionally influential, Jean-Jacques Annaud's directoral is commendable. The only flaw is the narrative structure seems a tad formulated and rushed.
There have been criticism about the English accents, but I really couldn't see Russell Crowe with a Godfather-style accent in Gladiator either.
This is a film that is well worth watching. 8/10