Enemy At The Gates DVD > Reviews > Raising the Red Flag

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Very good acting, characters, plot, effects, etc .  .  .
Disadvantages:	Might not appeal to you if you don't like war films .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Contrary to our views in the West, the Second World War was not won solely by Britain and America. Of the entire German Army at this time, two out of every three soldiers fought and often died on the Russian front, and it could be argued that the Soviets are (ironically) the true savours of Western democracy. Given, then, that the Russian Front was host to some of the largest, most horrific battles in history, it’s incredible that there are only a tiny number of war films based on some aspect of it.
So, needless to say the prospect of a big budget film based on a duel of snipers during the Battle of Stalingrad (one of the most pivotal battles of the war, even of the whole of history) was intriguing. One of the most notable aspects of the film (which, obviously many people have already noted…) is the almost universal lack of Americans. However, the film features a number of British actors and actresses (who don’t on the whole try to hide their nationality).
Jude Law plays Vassili Zaitsev, a peasant boy from the Urals, who possesses a flair for sniping. Also featured are Joseph Fiennes, as a Red Army Kommisar named Danilov, who comes up with the idea of making heroes out of ordinary soldiers to inspire a victory in Stalingrad, and Rachel Weiss as Tania Chernova, an intellectual serving in the Red Army. The ‘bad guy’ comes in the form of Major Konig, an elite Wermacht Sniper dispatched to flush out the Russian who has been causing so much trouble for the attacking German forces. Bob Hoskins takes on the (unlikely) role as Nikita Khrushchev, and succeeds in putting across an image of a man willing to go to any lengths (even sacrifice thousands of soldiers) in order to serve the ‘Communist ideals’.
The battle scenes are spectacular, and horrifying. One particular part that sticks with me is when the soldiers are issued weapons, only to find there is enough for one between two. They are instructed to pick up the weapon of the man in front when they die, so one weapon will be passed along a large number of troops during the course of the battle. The barbaric treatment of Russian soldiers by their own side tends to blur the line between good and bad, and ordinary soldiers on both sides are presented as victims of callous superiors.
Overall, the effects, plot and characterization are very good, and the film presents a very grim picture of life on the Russian front. However, it might not appeal to you if you are not a fan of the war film genre (Although this is not necessarily true - see comments).