Far are the days of The Bear and even of Quest for Fire...

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2004)

In other words, Brits on skids...
Jokes aside, this one is a good if not flawless war movie. The producers call it mystery-thriller. I still call it war movie, since there is no mystery in who is who in this one.
But what in Heavens, has this movie to do with the Battle at Stalingrad? Stalingrad is just a poor excuse to rehash the war genre. Even though the story bases itself on historic figures, it is rather superficial in scope.
What really bothered me though, was this very pronounced British accent in Russian uniforms! And Hoskins as Kruschchev is simply ridiculous! Especially when he tries to emulate a Russian accent with Cockney undertones. What is London? A suburb of Stalingrad? I appreciate his immense effort, but still he does not possess the stamina to play the, much younger then, and more energetic Nikita Kruschchev (I can see him as Beria anytime...).
Acting in general, is good but could be far more greater.
The only one who really stands out this time is Ed Harris. He does a magnificent job as a German expert sniper with a casual fatality about the job he has to accomplish (those who are about to die, salute you...).
Annaud is not really at his best in this one. Although Stalingrad has been reproduced quite well, Annaud simply makes it an action shooting movie, adding here and there some pathos to help the actors involved getting along with the plot...
If you want to watch truly impressive movies about the battle of Stalingrad, then rent or buy the 1992 released "Stalingrad" or even better, the 1949 Russian movie "The battle at Stalingrad". Both will tell you a lot more about the horrors of war and the mistakes of the Wehrmacht in misjudging its own capabilities, than this wimpy and seemingly intellectual film...
Sorry, Jean-Jacques, try harder next time. In the meanwhile, try to enjoy other movies, especially those mentioned before, as well as a German movie on the same subject, called "Hunde, wollt Ihr Ewig leben?" (Stalingrad: Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?), or the story of the battle, viewed from the German side, with no frills, nor love story. Just the crude reality.