Enemy at the Gates poster & wallpaper

Jude Law, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes

Two Russian and German snipers play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Flixster Users

81% liked it

101,914 ratings

Critics

58% liked it

122 critics

R, 131 min.

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Release Date: March 16, 2001

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 7,352 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates my favourite Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Dan van Husen Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates Enemy at the Gates
Upload a Photo |

View All Enemy at the Gates Photos (15)

Your Rating


clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (7,352)

  • organgrinder136
    August 15, 2009
    organgrinder136
    jude law, joseph fiennes and rachel weisz are not really actors i like. however this is a bloody good war film about two snipers, one russian and one german. it's set during the battle for stalingrad. the problem is it has a soppy and uninteresting love story sandwiched in there
  • AgentLexi2132
    January 20, 2009
    AgentLexi2132
    ''I've been such a fool, Vassili. Man will always be a man. There is no new man. We tried so hard to create a society that was equal, where there'd be nothing to envy your neighbour. But there's always something to envy. A smile, a friendship, something you don't have and want...( read more) to appropriate. In this world, even a Soviet one, there will always be rich and poor. Rich in gifts, poor in gifts. Rich in love, poor in love.''

    Two Russian and German snipers play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.

    Jude Law: Vassili Zaitsev

    It begins like a Saving Private Ryan rendition of sorts, bludgeoning us with narration, story and images of war, depicting a grizzly reality of turmoil. Now I was impressed with the opening scenes of battle, the random fighting we essentially seem to be thrown into.
    As Enemy at the Gates continues, we get characters thrown together without any explanation or reason. It just happens repeatedly in an array of events, that seem to defy believability.
    This being a Russian story, a Soviet tale, it does succeed in being a strange re-telling of history. The Russian Communist soldiers are depicted as expendable morsels, whom strangely all speak English, in strange ways. They shoot soldiers who retreat but don't have enough guns for all their people. Does this make sense? Clearly not. If they spent all that energy actually fighting the enemy rather than attacking their own grunts then they would of actually speeded up defeating the enemy.

    Writer/Director Jean-Jacques Annaud, writer Alain Goddard, and cinematographer Robert Fraisse treat the subject matter with confusing strokes of bizarreness and splatterings of action and fighting. It's very tricky to capture certain aspects and some parts feel like they have mixed messages as to why they are taking place. Anyone who's read anything credible about the inhuman suffering the Russian soldiers endured during this battle will have no trouble filling in the gaps that the narrative leaves about their living conditions. The blood and gore shown during the battles is beneficial to the atmosphere. Rather than just expecting you to believe that a solider receives a bullet to the aforementioned head, they show you Nazi and Soviet heroes dealing out death and judgment, so we can relate to them.

    ''All these men here know they're going to die. So, each night when they make it back, it's a bonus. So, every cup of tea, every cigarette is like a little celebration. You just have to accept that.''

    After Enemy at the Gates introduces audiences to the horrific street-to-street, house-to-house, factory-to-factory warfare with the massed armies pitted against each other, and showing German victories, demonstrating the awesome road to victory ahead, faced by the Red army, a subplot of the Stalingrad fight, becomes the plot of this story, killing key Nazi officers with snipers, in a guerrilla tactic maneuver.
    The sniper confrontations revolve around the two principals, Vasilli (Jude Kaw) and German Major Konig (Ed Harris). Konig is brought on midstream to provide specialized help, after the sniper successes on the part of the Russians present, the Wehrmacht with problems, it is not trained to encounter. The psychological drama that develops, with no shortage of plausible acting, is among the most captivating and memorable aspects, in this field of film.

    ''Look at him with pride, because he's looking at you. The whole country is looking at you.''

    The Germans' performance in the two World Wars is actually quite watchable, even though they were the losing side, considering their questionable allies and the size and strength of their opponents, Allied Forces. Nevertheless, the analysis is that they plan out every detail with a super organized approach, but make big errors, major errors of judgment, very basic is evaluating their opponents and taking on more than they can deal with. It is unlikely (actually, more like impossible) the Germans would have won WWI even had they occupied Stalingrad (they blew it the year before, by invading Russia too late), although it would have created more difficulties for the Russians (and the U.S. and U.K., heavily supplying them, heavily bombing the Germans, and fighting the Germans in North Africa).

    But in any event, the character of Major Konig is not in the usual vein of the over organized, rigid-thinking German. He is steely, in the usual German way, but projects a quiet, more genuine confidence, and is trickier still than his enemies. No particular Nazi party man, he is a professional soldier, not a bad guy (in the evenhanded approach, demanded of modern War story telling, toward at least the common soldier) when he is obliged to kill a civilian, it climaxes a vendetta against him, without sadism or graphic display. He projects a feeling of command and invincibility so compelling that the viewer actually feels he will win, although knowing otherwise. This is no spoiler, of course, yet we are left with the aura that Konig was the better man. It would be a spoiler to say how it was done, and that is another positive for Director Jean-Jacques Annaud. Heroism reigns triumphant for both sides, which is another shining bonus for Enemy at the Gates.

    Overall, it's a war film, not to be enjoyed for it's historical accuracy but for it's entertainment value and bemusing performances. We see Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, even Joseph Fiennes whom seems underused, speaking these wonderful English accents, but when we see them they don't really seem Russian. This a Hollywood-ised version of History, which comes off more Patriot than Saving Private Ryan. I'm not saying it's not possible to make a film with English, looks at Boy in the striped Pyjamas and Schindler's List, but Enemy at the Gates makes them look somewhat silly.
    Bonuses include battles, costumes, sniping, intellectual mind games and music that resembles Willow especially the German Snipers tune. Enemy at the Gates is a nice try at symbolizing and telling the story of Vassili Zaitsev, the struggle between two classes, socialism and capitalist fascism.

    ''He doesn't know you exist, but at that moment you're closer to him than anyone else on earth. You see his face through the sign. You see whether he shaved or not. You can see whether he's married if he's got a wedding ring. It's not like firing at a distant shape. It's not just a uniform. It's a man's face. Those faces don't go away. They come back and they get replaced by more faces.''
  • mrpopcorn
    July 18, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    I simply want to weigh in with a very positive response to Enemy at the Gates. Taken as a historical drama rather than an attempt to flawlessly depict a historical incident, this is topnotch entertainment. "Enemy" portrays the conflict between a young Russian sniper played by Law...( read more) and the German sniper (Harris) who is sent to kill him during the German attack on Stalingrad during WWII. Apart from a scene which awkwardly caricatures the Russian field commanders and the occasionally distracting accents, the film successfully immerses the viewer in this tense war drama. Appreciate it it for its tight focus, uncompromising realism, and fine characterizations by the main actors. Research the historical accuracy later, if you must, but don't let it spoil the film.

    4/5
  • TheMachinist
    June 10, 2008
    TheMachinist
    Russians who talk with a brit accent? Yes!
  • PvtCaboose91
    May 16, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "On this day, September 20th 1942, a young shepherd boy from the Urals arrived in the city of Stalingrad on the banks of the Volga. His name is Vassilij Zaitzev. Like thousands before him he came to answer comrade Stalin's call. Armed only with a rifle, he quickly made the fas...( read more)cist invader realise that from now on he would be punished for every step he took in the motherland, that from here on the only way was back."


    Over the years, movie studios have incessantly produced large scale World War II films that portray a certain part of the long-running war. Enemy of the Gates is one of the latest action thrillers to be produced during Hollywood's recent obsession with war films.


    Essentially this film is another attempt at equalling the best war film of all time - Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. With this style of violence and epic battle sequences in mind, this film tackles the battle of Stalingrad and its aftermath.


    The Germans are conquering virtually all of Europe and are close to crushing the Soviets. They only need to take control of Stalingrad to complete their plan. Based on an actual historical character, an accurate Russian rifleman named Vassili Zaitsev (Law) emerges as a prominent figure in the army after an act of heroism during the battle of Stalingrad of which he was one of the only Russians to survive. Vassili is an extraordinary marksman who gained quite a reputation during the war. His friend Commisar Danilov (Fiennes) endlessly prints stories about him; praising his skills and intelligence while in combat. The Germans are losing sleep over Vassili's extraordinary skill with a rifle. Because so many men have been lost thanks to a bullet from his rifle, the Germans send in a professional sniper (Harris) to match the skills of Vassili. Soon a sickeningly embarrassing love triangle emerges between Vassili, Danilov and a woman named Tania Chernova (Weisz).


    Enemy at the Gates opens with a bang. Its retelling of the battle of Stalingrad is guaranteed to please history enthusiasts, former soldiers and the action junkies. Like the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan, this battle is shown with a high level of realism and gruesome violence. But after these solid opening 25 minutes the film then falls victim to the typical war film syndrome. The whole thing is a solid action thriller with a lot of intensity and breathtaking set design. It succeeds in delivering realism to its source material. It's an incredible shame that the screenwriter had to spoil the whole thing with such a ludicrous romance sub-plot. As soon as an attractive young woman appeared on screen, it was foreseeable that a host of characters would want to get involved with her.


    Aside from this endless assortment of clichés and conventions, the film's dialogue isn't much better. I thought that the dialogue sounded unnatural and contrived. Not to mention the blatantly distracting and disconcerting fact that while the Russians write and type in their natural language, they put together a sentence and deliver announcements over radio...while fluent in English! The German soldiers can also speak perfect English. The irony is in the recruiting of translators to translate the German messages. If they keep speaking English, why would a translator be necessary?


    The powerhouse performances are among one of the film's redeeming features. But yet again blatant factual errors hurt the film's entertainment value. None of the actors appear to make an effort to produce an accent while delivering dialogue. Jude Law is a great actor for sure. However it looks strange and stupid because he plays a Russian who speaks English in an English accent. At points in the film while no lines are being said and instead facial expressions tell the story...now that's when the performances are first-rate.


    Enemy at the Gates also contains some superb production values. The expansive locations look authentic and true to life. As planes fly over we can feel the impact and the palpable fear that the protagonists are exhibiting. The film cleverly tells a nail biting game of cat-and-mouse between two snipers in the battlefield of Stalingrad.


    Like all recent war movies the costumes look authentic, the make-up looks superb, cinematography is great, directing is strong and there's a triumphant score as the bow on top. Enemy at the Gates was made with the audience in mind that will enjoy mindless violence as opposed to intelligent dialogue.
  • adiliosantos
    November 6, 2009
    adiliosantos
    Very very very good, one of the rare movies that portraits the WW2 in the russian front, and excels at it.
  • totalefreiheit
    November 4, 2009
    totalefreiheit
    Muy buena pelicula... aunque es una fantasía. Historicamente no hay ningun documento que diga que Vasili Saitsev peleo contra el Mayor König. Todo fue inventado. Por cierto, Vasili era gordo y no se parecia a Jude Law.
  • chomz
    October 27, 2009
    chomz
    one of the best war movies i've ever seen..
  • ryanbranch
    October 22, 2009
    ryanbranch
    Baddest war movie ever
  • youthagainstfascism1
    October 21, 2009
    youthagainstfascism1
    Weird Casting
    Two Brits for Russians
    All American for a German
    Not a lot of character development
    Ed Harris comes out as a cardboard cut out bad guy.
    The scenes are muddled and ill-concieved. Cinematography could've been better.
    The movie in general came off as a wanna be Saving ...( read more)Private Ryan, but none of the violence that was shown in the film such as the main roles friends dying don't come off nearly as meaningful as in the Spielberg film.

View All Enemy at the Gates Reviews

Critic Reviews

March 22, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Any flaws in execution pale against those moments when the film brings history to vital life. full review

March 16, 2001
David Edelstein, Slate

The film, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, doesn't stint on mud, corpses, or rubble, but the focus is all screwed-up. full review

March 16, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

After Enemy at the Gates teases us with the promise of something big, it's hard to be happy with a small-scale story. full review

March 16, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's remarkable. full review

March 15, 2001
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Enemy at the Gates has its deficiencies, but the first-rate cast is not among them. full review

View more Enemy at the Gates reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • mal2pool
    January 19, 2009
    mal2pool
    My favourite ever war movie. Love the sniper battle in the ruined city. Stunning beginning as the russian recruits are bundled into trains and boats and pushed and shoved into a battle they clearly don't fancy. Vastly outnumbered by the German army they rely on a lone sniper to sap the german spirit. Jude Law looks the part . Perfect saturday afternoon war movie. Can't understand why it didn't get good reviews.
Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Official Trailer

View Larger Enemy at the Gates Trailer

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Full Metal Jacket
    Full Metal Jacket (61%)
  • Saving Private Ryan
    Saving Private Ryan (73%)
  • Black Hawk Down
    Black Hawk Down (75%)
  • Days of Glory (Indigenes)
    Days of Glory (Indigenes) (100%)

More Movies like Enemy at the Gates

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings

Enemy at the Gates Trivia

  • He acted alongside with Ed Harris and Joseph Fiennes in Enemy at the Gates and also acted in other movie with Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger in Cold Mountain? Who is he?  Answer »
  • In which movie do Jude Law and Rachel weisz play Russian snipers in world war 2?  Answer »
  • Jude Law DID NOT DIE at the end of this movie...  Answer »
  • What movie is this quote from? 'No one gives a shit about the telephone guys'  Answer »
More Enemy at the Gates Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Enemy at the Gates Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Enemy at the Gates to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

tankspice Skin by tankspice
57 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins