A Huge movie that will leave you impressed

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2001)

Others have made the proper comparisons (big background and sets a la Titanic and Saving Private Ryan - SPR) and pointed out some inconsistencies such as German and Russian sung in the background and in writing on walls but all speech in English. But the word is HUGE and here is why. The sets, augmented by matte paintings and CG graphics, are enormous. The Tractor Factory set alone will make you forget the French village in SPR. I've seen trashed factories in Kuwait during Desert Storm and all the sets had that same feel. Also, older war movies used real footage spliced in (12 O'Clock High) and it looked it (clear vs. grainy) whereas now the CG creates Stuka strafings and Heinkel bombings that could not be done today by real aircraft - thus whetting our taste for "Pearl Harbor". Part of what you will see is the atmosphere and recreation of war - and it is ever bit as big as the Titanic's hull or SPR's French village. ****Spoilers to Follow ***** Spoilers to Follow****** 1. The kid (Sachsa) was perfect as the innocent who was employed by the Germans as a cobbler and bootblack for food but used as a double agent. All soldiers, including Americans, have employed kids (one was in the MASH TV series) for all wars. Usually the currency is food, as it was here. Think of Dov from "Exodus" (the book). Ed Harris, feeling the loss of his son, does not want to kill Sachsa for his double-spying, so he warns him not to return, and only when Sachsa does return, does Harris use him as the bait to draw out Vassily. Harris has his orders and he does what he must. The scene where the kid is mending boot soles and Germans are marching by and the kid's nose is running either from the cold or crying is classic. 2. Some decry the love affair between Weiscz and Law, but, hey, it happens. Did they decry the beach love scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr? In war, you feel that each day might be your last and you don't want to die a virgin or with clogged pipes and the animalistic rutting is what I would expect between a shepard and a first timer. Her face switches between pain and pleasure, however Jude Law is the master of the Silent Orgasm. Don't minimize women's involvement in Soviet Army actions. Soviet women served in many areas such as sniper and fighter pilot. Even today the Israeli army uses only women to teach rifle marksmanship. 3. This could have been a mini-series and covered all aspects of Stalingrad (freezing, logistics, wood fires to thaw engines, color bands on snow suits, Paulus' promotion to Field Marshal, etc., etc.) but who has time for that? Urban rubble is a snipers best friend (Abbey of Monte Cassino and SPR) and the marksmanship, fieldcraft and soldier skills needed to be the best sniper are exemplified here. 4. Heroes do make a war effort roll. FDR wanted something to take our minds off of Pearl Harbor and got The Doolittle Raiders. Hitler would not allow Rommel to be besmirched (after Rommel's involvement in the plot to kill Hitler) and let him to commit suicide but publicised it as "died from a strafing". The sole Ranger that won the Silver Star in Grenada was Reagan's guest at a State of the Union speech. And finally... 5. This movie was funny. There were some real "if you have ever been in the military..." scenes like where only the fat general gets a shower, where the guy in the front rank rolls his eyes back towards Fiennes, etc. This movie actually had some good laughs. See it, see it, see it.