Excellent, moving, honest

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2000)

Having seen the film, read other people's comments and read Anthony Beevor's excellent book, I think it is fair to say that "Stalingrad" is an accurate depiction of the famous battle. It ignores a wider focus and instead concentrates on a group of German soldiers, which has the effect of making the film more personal. Although it is arguable that more background of the battle should have been provided, it is fair to say that the basic premise of the film, e.g. a lot of soldiers went there and never came back, makes a refreshing change to a lot of Hollywood films which get bogged down in sentimentality (the second half of Saving Private Ryan is a good example of this).
The only real flaw is that some of the acting and bits of the script aren't absolutely stunning (but then again if one is lying in rubble and bleeding to death, is a magnificent speech the first thing that comes to mind?). Altogether, an excellent film which really drills home the fact that a lot of people do not survive wars.