Enemy at the Gates
3/4
Starring: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz
Rated R for Strong Graphic War Violence and Some Sexuality
In 1999, Jude Law blew my mind with his outstanding performance as the selfish playboy in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." He was nominated for an Oscar (which he should have won), and Hollywood started paying attention to this young actor. It's not hard to understand why they took such an interest in him. He was talented, and more importantly, photogenic. So popular was he that he had six movies come out in the last four months of 2004, after he got a second Oscar nomination for "Cold Mountain." Sadly, a slew of lazy performances and bad press caused his star to fall considerably as of late. Law is still capable of giving good performances, but it's been a long time since he has put any real effort into his acting. It's a shame really, because "Enemy at the Gates" shows what he is capable of. Admittedly, it's not crying out for Oscar attention, but it's still pretty good.
Stalingrad, 1942. World War II is in full swing, and Adolph Hitler is making an effort to conquer Russia. All that stands in his way is the capital, Stalingrad. Losses are catastrophic on both sides, but Nazis are about to take a huge hit to their morale when word gets out about Vassili Zaitsev (Law), the hero sniper. A farm boy from the Urals, Vassili has the luck of shooting five Nazi officers with five shots in front of a PR guy from the Red Army. The man's name is Danilov (Fiennes), and in order to boost the Russian soldiers' spirits, he transforms this ordinary soldier into a hero of Russia. The plan works, and soon everyone knows his name. But things take a turn for the worse when the Nazis get word of this and send one of their legendary snipers, Major Konig (Harris) to kill Vassili.
War movies changed forever with the release of "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. Gone are the John Wayne movies of old-fashioned heroism and derring-do. Steven Spielberg's film ushered in a wave of movies that looked at war for what it really is: gory, traumatic and devastating. Jean-Jacques Annaud follows this trend, but it's not really a war movie in the same sense that "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down," another gritty war movie, are. Instead, it's really a psychological thriller set against an epic backdrop.
Jude Law is terrific as Vassili. It's the same old story of an ordinary guy who is thrust into the spotlight (and ends up regretting it), but things are a little different in this case. Danilov has built him up to be such an invincible superhero that everyone has started paying attention to the duel between him and Konig. And despite his successes, there is a very real possibility that he won't last long against a professional sniper. Law captures all of this uncertainty without missing a beat. Less impressive is Fiennes, an actor of a significantly limited range. Fiennes has a tendency to get melodramatic (watch his performance in "Elizabeth" if you don't believe me), and while there are times when he's effective, there are just as many moments when he is flat. Rachel Weisz is adequate as Tania, the girl who comes between them, but for the most part she's just Evie O'Connell in a uniform. Only at the very end is she given a chance to shine.
Actually, Weisz's character is a part of the problem. The whole romantic triangle subplot doesn't work. Not only is it cliche and artificial, but it's half developed as well. Of greater interest is the cat-and-mouse game between Vassili and Konig. These scenes contain genuine suspense because both characters are smart, and they study each other's moves carefully. They lay traps for each other, and you never know who's got the upper hand. Thankfully, Annaud concentrates more on that than the silly love triangle.
All in all, I like this movie. The action scenes are well done, and there is constant suspense. Law gives a terrific performance, and the other members of the cast (which include Bob Hoskins and Ron Perlman in small roles) aren't far behind. Except Fiennes, of course. This movie would have been a lot better if they had gotten a better actor than the brother of the infinitely more talented Ralph Fiennes.
Starring: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz
Rated R for Strong Graphic War Violence and Some Sexuality
In 1999, Jude Law blew my mind with his outstanding performance as the selfish playboy in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." He was nominated for an Oscar (which he should have won), and Hollywood started paying attention to this young actor. It's not hard to understand why they took such an interest in him. He was talented, and more importantly, photogenic. So popular was he that he had six movies come out in the last four months of 2004, after he got a second Oscar nomination for "Cold Mountain." Sadly, a slew of lazy performances and bad press caused his star to fall considerably as of late. Law is still capable of giving good performances, but it's been a long time since he has put any real effort into his acting. It's a shame really, because "Enemy at the Gates" shows what he is capable of. Admittedly, it's not crying out for Oscar attention, but it's still pretty good.
Stalingrad, 1942. World War II is in full swing, and Adolph Hitler is making an effort to conquer Russia. All that stands in his way is the capital, Stalingrad. Losses are catastrophic on both sides, but Nazis are about to take a huge hit to their morale when word gets out about Vassili Zaitsev (Law), the hero sniper. A farm boy from the Urals, Vassili has the luck of shooting five Nazi officers with five shots in front of a PR guy from the Red Army. The man's name is Danilov (Fiennes), and in order to boost the Russian soldiers' spirits, he transforms this ordinary soldier into a hero of Russia. The plan works, and soon everyone knows his name. But things take a turn for the worse when the Nazis get word of this and send one of their legendary snipers, Major Konig (Harris) to kill Vassili.
War movies changed forever with the release of "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. Gone are the John Wayne movies of old-fashioned heroism and derring-do. Steven Spielberg's film ushered in a wave of movies that looked at war for what it really is: gory, traumatic and devastating. Jean-Jacques Annaud follows this trend, but it's not really a war movie in the same sense that "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down," another gritty war movie, are. Instead, it's really a psychological thriller set against an epic backdrop.
Jude Law is terrific as Vassili. It's the same old story of an ordinary guy who is thrust into the spotlight (and ends up regretting it), but things are a little different in this case. Danilov has built him up to be such an invincible superhero that everyone has started paying attention to the duel between him and Konig. And despite his successes, there is a very real possibility that he won't last long against a professional sniper. Law captures all of this uncertainty without missing a beat. Less impressive is Fiennes, an actor of a significantly limited range. Fiennes has a tendency to get melodramatic (watch his performance in "Elizabeth" if you don't believe me), and while there are times when he's effective, there are just as many moments when he is flat. Rachel Weisz is adequate as Tania, the girl who comes between them, but for the most part she's just Evie O'Connell in a uniform. Only at the very end is she given a chance to shine.
Actually, Weisz's character is a part of the problem. The whole romantic triangle subplot doesn't work. Not only is it cliche and artificial, but it's half developed as well. Of greater interest is the cat-and-mouse game between Vassili and Konig. These scenes contain genuine suspense because both characters are smart, and they study each other's moves carefully. They lay traps for each other, and you never know who's got the upper hand. Thankfully, Annaud concentrates more on that than the silly love triangle.
All in all, I like this movie. The action scenes are well done, and there is constant suspense. Law gives a terrific performance, and the other members of the cast (which include Bob Hoskins and Ron Perlman in small roles) aren't far behind. Except Fiennes, of course. This movie would have been a lot better if they had gotten a better actor than the brother of the infinitely more talented Ralph Fiennes.
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