War movies that go outside the traditional lines of the genre don’t happen enough. Saving Private Ryan may have an epic running time, but the entire feature is generic war-movie action, even if executed superbly. Even Apocalypse Now and Platoon have very generic war film structures. Enemy at the Gates, however, strays boldly from war film conventions by daring to be less about a war and more about an enrapturing game of cat and mouse. When boiled down to its core, the film is actually a spy vs. spy film juxtaposed over a war setting. By playing with the genre tropes, Enemy at the Gates tells a riveting tale about two snipers in the ultimate game of chess.
Enemy at the Gates starts like a war movie should with an incredible sweeping battle sequence which sets up Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) as sniper extraordinaire. The tactics employed by the Russian army in the Battle of Stalingrad were ruthless; senior officers would shoot any foot soldier who hesitated a moment in the charge against the entrenched German infantry and artillery. When Vassili receives nothing but a spare clip in the mad scramble off the boats, he charges blindly into the action picking up a rifle from a fallen comrade. When the dust settles, the Russian force is devastated and Vassili hides amongst their corpses in a fountain as some German officers arrive in a nearby building for some downtime. Hiding with him is his newfound friend Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) who happens to be a propaganda pusher for the Russian war machine. Vassili takes down the Nazi officers establishing himself as a national hero and figurehead in the eyes of Danilov’s newest propaganda campaign.
This event is just the beginning of Vassili’s sniper adventures as he’s sent all over Stalingrad to cause the kind of trouble only a sniper can. But Vassili is more than just his job as a sniper; he comes to know the citizens around him and makes fast friends with Sacha (Gabriel Thomson) and her big sister figure Tania (Rachel Weisz), who becomes the third corner of a Vassili, Danilov, Tania love triangle. Unfortunately, the fame Danilov generates for Vassili comes with a price. As the expectations for Vassili rise, so does his profile – leading the Germans to call in Konig (Ed Harris), a sniper of their own. Here’s where the fun begins. The two snipers begin an elaborate game traps and snares designed to lure one another into the open for that final decisive shot. As the turmoil of Stalingrad reaches its climax, the snipers meet for the last time.
You’d think that a movie about soldiers lying very still while waiting to shoot a target would be dry – but it’s just the opposite. The script is tight, the action scenes astonishing in the chaotic fury they produce and the pay-off exceeds expectations. Even if the love triangle feels out of place in a war movie (but they had to keep Danilov relevant somehow), it never seriously hinders the plot.
For characterization there are a few highs and lows. Jude Law, who I am wont to describe as a pretty boy, shows he has the chops to play the gritty soldier – even if Vassili comes closer to being a man with a whole lotta patience than he does man of war. Joseph Fiennes as the over-eager, nationalist Danilov fits perfectly. He’s at once self-serving but in a way that Russia applauded at the time as it furthers mother Russia’s own ambitions. Rachel Weisz ties with Joseph Fiennes for having an unnecessary character. In this case one of them should have been omitted – but not both. Either feature the love story or feature one man’s battle with his country’s expectations, but both just detracts from the sniper story being told in the forefront. Ed Harris is sublime as Konig, plain and simple. He’s the established pro with tricks up his sleeve and no doubt in his mind that he’ll succeed.
There are two more characters of importance worth mentioning. The first is the fantastic score by James Horner which has a life all its own. The recurring French horns (I think), become as much a part of the movie as Jude Law or Ed Harris. It’s the same ominous piece which repeats each time something fortuitous or foreboding occurs – it’s phenomenal. By the end of the film you’ll want to hum it each time someone breaks a piece of bad news. The other abstract character is the set design for the city of Stalingrad. The city in ruins creates a locus of obstacles and personality around which each character’s performance revolves. With that said, the audio and video receives a nice bump from the 1080p definition, the film looks better than I’ve ever seen it before.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Alas, we have no audio commentaries to revel in; however there are two production featurettes highlighting both the making of the film and the story behind the historical deeds of the snipers. If you enjoy the film at all, the “Through the Crosshairs” piece on snipers should be watched.
"Enemy at the Gates" is on sale May 19, 2009 and is rated R. Action, War. Directed by Jean Jacques Annaud. Written by Jean-Jacques Annaud & Alain Godard. Starring Bob Hoskins, Ed Harris, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Ron Perlman, Joseph Fiennes.
