Enemy at the Gates is a drama movie set in Stalingrad during the autumn of 1942, during the great German/Soviet battle there, and is filmed from the Russian view. The big budget movie was shot in Europe using unemployed Germans and Russians as extras.

The movie is based on the historical sniper battle between Russian hero Vassily Zaitsev, and German sharpshooter Heinz Thorwald. The movie script inexplicably creates a different last name for the German sniper, although the character names for the rest of the cast are from the history pages. Except for actor Ed Harris, the names of the cast are not especially well known, and Harris appears in only a supporting role.

The movie begins with some stunning special effects, and the panoramic views of the bombed out city are convincing enough, but the movie eventually wears down into a highly improbable “in love and in war” yarn. The movie is almost two movies; the first one dealing with the horrors of war, and the second with a love story complete with rivalry and broken hearts.

For the historically accurate moviegoer, the uniforms and weaponry appear genuine enough, but there are some detractors. First, Stalingrad just didn’t seem to be terribly cold; the snow was scattered only here and there instead of being knee deep, and the Volga River never showed any inclination to freeze solid. Second, the actors portraying Russians had British accents, while Ed Harris had none at all.

In summary, history buffs expecting a rare chance to see a documentary on the big screen will surely be disappointed, but I did find the movie to be entertaining simply because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. History and Hollywood do meet several times throughout the movie, but for the most part my experience was just another reasonably satisfying trip to the matinee.



Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age