Not a documentary.

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2014)

One of my top ten war movies; it shares the experience of Stalingrad without being letter-perfect historically. The depiction is horrifying, the reality was much worse. Yes, Krushchev was there, was handing out rifles, and was a commander/party aparatchik in the city. His likeness on Bob Hoskins blew me away. Tanks rolled out of the factory, unpainted and with no sights and entered the battle only blocks away. The carnage was unmatched in the history of warfare, perhaps exceeded only by Verdun which was actually shorter. Only about 5000 Germans survived from the 6th German Army when they were sent back to Germany in 1955. This was a turning point in the Eastern front, the War and the History of the World.