Enemy at the Gates

Theatrical Release Date: 2001 03 16 (USA)

UPC: 097363386247

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: 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 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

Category: War

Enemy at the Gates

Format: DVD

Release Date: 08/14/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 131 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- WIDESCREEN
0. Scene Selections
1. The Wolf Hunter [2:46]
2. Crossing The Volga [7:00]
3. Suicide Charge [:16]
4. Five Bullets [5:07]
5. Stalin's Envoy [4:49]
6. Major Konig [2:08]
7. The Department Store [7:50]
8. Kruschev's Menace [4:12]
9. Steel Teeth [2:54]
10. Koulikov's Death [3:07]
11. Tania's Parents [6:02]
12. The Tractor Factory [3:43]
13. Mirror Effect [:42]
14. Intimacy [5:20]
15. Sacha's Risk [4:12]
16. Among The Dead [2:22]
17. The Young Cobbler's Fate [5:42]
18. Danilov's Remorse [:03]
19. Duel [1:32]
20. Victory [6:35]

Jason Clark

If one thought the backlash against Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan was unwarranted, then it would be best to channel those negative feelings toward Jean-Jacques Annaud's crude, poorly cast World War II drama. Using Ryan as a primer for faux jingoistic wartime clich?s, the film never makes the brutality of Stalingrad palpable on any sensible level, merely wallowing in mediocrity from one ill-conceived scene to the next. The casting is equally baffling, with Brits Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes playing Russians and all-American Ed Harris playing a German. The film may have paid off if any actor were properly suited to his role. As it is, the leads are not nearly commanding enough to convince as battle soldiers, and Harris fails to make his ruthless sniper much more than a stock villain. A few scenes have requisite suspense, but are quickly undone by the director's unsteady hand and the silly screenplay, which makes it nearly impossible to comprehend the characters' actions. The movie is reportedly the highest-budgeted European feature in history, due to its lengthy, violent scenes of combat, which also seem directly inspired by Spielberg's picture. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Gabriel Marshall-Thompson  Actor 
Jean-Jacques Annaud  Director 
Jean-Jacques Annaud  Producer 
Jean-Jacques Annaud  Screenwriter 
Alain Godard  Executive Producer 
Alain Godard  Screenwriter 
James Horner  Composer (Music Score) 
John D. Schofield  Producer 
Alisa Tager  Executive Producer 
Joseph Fiennes  Actor 
Jude Law  Actor 
Rachel Weisz  Actor 
Bob Hoskins  Actor 
Ed Harris  Actor 
Ron Perlman  Actor 
Eva Mattes  Actor 
Matthias Habich  Actor 
Sophie Rois  Actor 
Mikhail Matveev  Actor 

Country: Germany,UK,USA,Ireland