Not really a war masterpiece.

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2002)

Maybe there's something nostalgic about Russians and German characters not speaking with their proper accents in war movies, because that's how a lot of war movies used to be made, but it's something that just gets on my nerves. The opening battle scenes are on par with Saving Private Ryan, the tension of the two snipers' duel is nail-biting, but the love triangle subplot is forgettable, and the filmmakers fail to utilize and comment on the propaganda used by both the Soviets and Germans in any meaningful way. The movie does get points for showcasing the Eastern front of the European theater. Hollywood would have us believe the US won the war single-handedly, but the Russians were in fact instrumental in the defeat of the Nazis. Still, I just can't get past those Russians with British accents. 6/10.
If you'd like to see movies that highlight the Eastern front even more effectively, check out Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron from 1977, or the German-made Stalingrad from 1993.