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Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, Ed Harris ... see more see more... , Ron Perlman , Eva Mattes , Matthias Habich , Sophie Rois , Mikhail Matveev , Gabriel Marshall-Thompson

A turning point in 20th century war history is the focus of this fact-based account of the 1942-1943 battle of Stalingrad, in which the Germans were finally defeated by Russian influence -- one of the... read more read more... bloodiest battles in World War II history. The film stars Jude Law as Vassili, a marksman from the Urals who is transported to Stalingrad in 1942, and a master German sniper, Major Koenig (Ed Harris). Koenig, an expert German sniper, is determined to eliminate his formidable opponent by any means necessary; meanwhile, Vassili has joined forces with Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), a young Russian political adversary, who is impressed by Vassili's skills and raises his profile in the Soviet Union. Both Vassili and Danilov become involved with Tanya (Rachel Weisz), whose Jewish parents have been captured by the Germans and have forced her to take up with the men on a sniper expedition. Koenig and Vassili begin to develop traps for each other, until fate inevitably must bring the two sharpshooters together. This large-scale production, financed mostly by Teuton companies, also features Bob Hoskins as Nikita Krushchev and Ron Perlman as an aging Russian sniper. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

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81% liked it

201,645 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

137 critics

R, 2 hr. 11 min.

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Release Date: March 16, 2001

Keywords: action, war, sniper

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DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

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Stats: 7,855 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,855)

  • lewiskendell
    April 21, 2012
    lewiskendell
    Enemy at the Gates is a brutal World War II movie about the Battle for Stalingrad, made personal by the deadly duel between a Russian (Jude Law) and German (Ed Harris) sniper. It's an occasionally thrilling battle of wits and wills that only one of them can survive.

    It's not as... read more powerful as the best World War II films, and it almost feels like a little too much superfluous stuff was added to the narrative in an attempt to make it palatable to a larger audience, but I liked the movie, overall. When it's at its best, it's pretty intense.
  • garyX
    January 19, 2011
    garyX
    When a young Russian soldier is held up as a heroic example to the besieged citizens of Stalingrad during WWII, the Nazis send their top marksman to kill him and quell their rising hope. There's a lot about Enemy At The Gates that I admire; the opening sequence is excellent, show... read moreing the Russian soldiers as a collection of unwilling young conscripts treated like virtual slaves, used as cannon fodder and just as likely to be shot by their own officers as the enemy. The visuals are also superb, brilliantly recreating the devastated ruins of the city and Annaud's direction makes the cat and mouse game between the two snipers extremely tense and suspenseful. A steely-eyed Ed Harris also puts in a typically excellent performance as the German sharpshooter who locks horns with our hero. Unfortunately the woeful miscasting of Jude Law in the lead role means that the young shepherd from the Urals is played like an extra from a Guy Ritchie movie and the introduction of Hollywood gloss in the form of a pointless love triangle and overly intrusive incidental music compromises everything about the film that is of merit. It's still worth watching for the good bits, but I'd avoid the scenes involving the unfortunate Miss Weisz like a little red dot on the forehead.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 21, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Enemy At The Gates is a very good film about two snipers who go head to head and play a game of cat and mouse. During The Battle Of Stalingrad, a young Sniper makes a name for himself by having multiple enemy kills. Judd Law gives a splendid performance as Vassilli Zaitsev, who b... read moreecame a hero during the war. Enemy At The Gates is not flawless but it sure is very entertaining and is one of the better war films. There are things that could have been changed. For example, the love story could have been omitted. Ed Harris delivered the best performance of the film, and I find him to be a great actor. A thing that I found great about the film was that it was set during the turning point of the war, because as we all know; the Battle Of Stalingrad was the first of many defeats of Nazi Germany. It's obvious that Hollywood took some creative liberties to make the story more appealing for the general public by including a love story, despite that fact it doesn't revolve constantly around that. Unlike other "war" films who've played out on the love aspect and downplayed on the war factor, very much like the Paul Gross travesty, Passchendaele and Michael Bay's Pearly Harbor. I guess the love side of the film is to give the characters a little more development and show a hopeful side to the end of the conflict, and unlike many films who've done that and failed, Enemy At The Gates is pretty good at limiting corny love scenes. The result is a flawed but very good film that is very entertaining to watch because the Battle Of Stalingrad was epic, and watching these two Elite snipers is very intense and thrilling. Enemy At The Gates is a fine war film, not accurate but very good. Also the fact that they don't overdo the love story is a big plus, and the film isn't another Passchendaele or Pearl Harbor. Enemy At The Gates should be seen as entertainment, and it is a well acted and solidly plotted film.
  • cosmo313
    August 22, 2010
    cosmo313
    Avoid this if you want a rousing and historically accurate war film. If you want to see a movie wit hlots of tense sniper exchanges and tension though, then this is a movie for you. The sets and atmosphere are wonderful, and some of the sequences are quite well done. The cast is ... read morealso fairly notable.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 29, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    B
  • MizturY0da
    April 14, 2010
    MizturY0da
    "Enemy at the Gates" is about how a bunch of British soldiers try to keep the German army from taking Stalingrad in WW II. The opening scene, where the British take a train from England to the east bank of the Volga and then are transported across to Stalingrad, is well done. Aft... read moreer that, the movie kind of falls flat. Two British snipers fall in love, but a love triangle develops between them and a British NKVD agent. Then one of the British snipers is used as propaganda to boost Soviet morale by trying to kill an American sniper that the Germans bring in. Well, I could go on, but what's the point?
  • ythelastman89
    January 7, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I have no idea why this is one of the best war movies, but it just is. Theoretically it should have been interesting at best. The actors are not even close to their character's counterparts in terms of accents, but they nail the personalities 100%. It's just an excellent represen... read moretation of honor that plays out like a pulp tale from the 40s or 50s. The visual elements of the film are beautiful, giving a glorious war-torn Stalingrad.
  • flixsterman
    December 2, 2009
    flixsterman
    I enjoyed this one more than most, even though director Jean-Jacques Annaud took a few liberties with the truth. The essence of the actual story is here, highlighted by outstanding performances from Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Ed Harris.

    I think it's interesting when America... read moren movies feature real-life 'foreign' heroes. Why doesn't France produce a film about Audie Murphy? Or Germany do a bio-pic on Neil Armstrong?
  • SirPant
    November 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Jean-Jacques Annaud has never been one to let a little detail like fact to get in the way of a good story, sometimes it's ok but sometimes it's not. This time, it's the latter. What could have been a great film is merely good, due to historical meddling and an unnecessary love tr... read moreiangle. A real shame but entertaining enough anyway. It's not the fucking Patriot anyway!
  • Gx7
    November 21, 2009
    Gx7

    Autumn, 1942. Europe lies crushed beneath the Nazi jackboot. The German Third Reich is at the height of its power. Hitler's Armies are charging through the heart of the Soviet Union towards the oil fields of Asia. One last obstacle remains, a city on the Volga, w

    ... read morehere the fate of the world is being decided..

    This, is Stalingrad...
    Welcome to Hell.


    "I am a stone. I do not move. Very slowly, I put snow in my mouth, then he won't see my breath. I take my time. I let him come closer. I have only one bullet. I aim at his eye. Very gently, my finger presses on the trigger."
    -Vassili Zaitsev



    I havent been this ecstatic about a war movie for a long time. Sniper vs sniper action, tactical combat, wow.. and I mean "WOW!" 10 minutes from the start of the movie, my eyes were poppin out of its sockets (lol). The actors performances were stellar, but I thought the casting was a tad bit off. (Another American passing of as a German.. well he played the role well, I just couldnt see him as a German thats all.)

    All movies have its flaws, if you dwell on them too much you'll spoil the good in it. I liked this one a lot, end of.
    Recommendation: A worthy collectible.

    Genres: War History, Thriller, Drama
    Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 9, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

There's never much risk of reality intruding--just a lot of histrionic James Horner music nd plenty of designer stubble on the soldiers' faces. Full Review

Peter Rainer
September 26, 2002
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

It's as if an obsessed movie nut had decided to collect every bad war-movie convention on one computer and program it to spit out a script. Full Review

Amy Taubin
March 27, 2001
Amy Taubin, Village Voice

Hackneyed material. Full Review

Peter Travers
March 22, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

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

Mike Clark
March 16, 2001
Mike Clark, USA Today

The story hits and misses for more than two hours following its opening artillery bloodbath. Full Review

Peter Howell
March 16, 2001
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It's this human understanding of an inhuman conflict that gives Enemy At The Gates so much power, despite its defects. Full Review

David Edelstein
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

Mick LaSalle
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

John Anderson
March 16, 2001
John Anderson, Newsday

Airplanes arrive as regularly as the groaners in Enemy at the Gates. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
March 16, 2001
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Can't easily be dismissed or forgotten.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Danilov: 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 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.
    • Vassili Zaitsev: Sad to have a dream you know won't happen.
    • Khrushchev: You won't give up the river bank. I don't care if you lost half your men. Lose the other half. Lose yourself.
    • Khrushchev: You see, they're stubborn. That's the good thing about the Germans. Man, you got to admit, when they get an idea in their heads...
    • General von Paulus: My army is not designed for this kind of fighting. Yesterday, yet again I had to promote 25 sergeants to replace the officers shot down by the sharpshooters. Those snipers are demoralizing my people. This city is no more than a heap of ruins, but the Fuhrer's persisting. We should trust the fuhrer's instinct, he always managed to lead us to victory. We shall be at home for Christmas. How are you going to go about finding this young Russian?
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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 »
  • 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 »
  • Which actor actor played Vassili Zaitsez in the movie Enemy At The Gates?  Answer »
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