Enemy at the Gates is foremost a war movie, with a bit of a love story thrown in. It is set where few war movies (especially ones made by the big American companies) dare to go: a non-US front with no Americans. The time is late 1942 and the place is Stalingrad on the German Eastern Front. Possibly the most vicious fighting of World War II was conducted here, especially in the famous Red Tractor Factory Complex. The Germans are determined to take the city and the Russians are equally determined to prevent that.

Something that never occurred to me is that Stalingrad (now Volgograd, which I think was its original name) was named after Stalin and was a very important symbol for the Russian people. Second only to Moscow in importance, it does explain why both sides fought so hard for it. (Note that the Germans lost an army of 300 000 when they were cut off and sorrounded in Stalingrad. Too bad Hitler didn't allow them to retreat.)

Enter four people (all of them real, the movie is based on true events but no one knows what really happened because of the myths and legends that sprung up afterwards) into this charnal house. Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law), an infantry man who is sent on his first attack on the same day he arrives in Stalingrad (weapons are so short that only half the soldiers are armed, the other half have to pick up rifles as the first soldiers are cut down). Vassili's company is cut down and he hides in Red Square.

Later on Commander Danilov (Joseph Fiennes, Danilov is only briefly mentioned in the history books), a political commissar driving across town with some propaganda leaflets, finds himself trapped, also in Red Square. The two are passed by Germans and soon see an officer and aides setting up camp. Zaitsev shoots all five (one shot each) and a legend is born. Meanwhile Nikita Krushchev (Bob Hoskins, who Dave couldn't get past his Roger Rabbit role, whereas I kept picturing him as Mario Mario in Super Mario Bros.), also a political commissar, arrives to take over the political propaganda division of Stalingrad. "What can we do to inspire the Russian soldiers?" asks Krushchev. "Give them a hero," suggests Danilov.

So Zaitsev is transferred to the snipers, where he displays a fearsome proficiency with the vocation. The Russian people look up to him and write him letters, so Zaitsev and Danilov spend many a night replying to the many letters. "If people take the time to write me, I should take the time to answer them," comments Zaitsev. It's during one of these letter writing nights (apparently conducted in different places) that they both meet Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz), a pretty young woman, well-bred and educated, who is a member of the local militia.

That's going to be a problem, as Danilov immediately falls in love with Tania and has her transferred to the politburo HQ. Meanwhile Tania is falling in love with Zaitsev and vice versa, which is a development that Danilov will soon discover, to his chagrin. But what about the Germans? With Zaitsev knocking off German officers left and right it's time for Major Koenig (Ed Harris), fresh from teaching the German sniper school, to come to the Eastern Front to kill Zaitsev, whose legend continues to grow and grow. (It's only almost at the end of the movie that we realize that Koenig volunteered for this assignment because his son was killed inthe Eastern Front.)

The stage is set, the hunt is on. Who survives and who is offed? There are three other minor characters as color. The kid Sasha (Gabriel Thomson) who is a bit too streetwise for his own good; Sasha's mother, Mrs Filipov (Eva Mattes); and Koulikov (Ron Perlman), another Russian sniper who studied with the Germans (and paid for it when the Germans invaded Russia). This is a movie filled with a lot of death, a good amount of gore though not as much (at least to me) as Saving Private Ryan, and a lot of head shots.

It's a good movie with a well paced plot. I'm subscribed to a couple of wargaming lists and the people there were not impressed with the historical accuracy (though admittedly, they were mostly nitpicks) and definitely didn't like the romance (though it was probably only 30 minutes worth at best). "I don't go to a war movie to see a romance" was one comment. Regardless, I personally liked the movie a lot and think it's a good war movie.