Saving Private Ryan certainly has raised the standard for war films. Truth be told, going into Enemy at the Gates, I figured I was in for a barrage of Saving Private Ryan rehash, especially after reading reviews about this new "WWII thriller." Aside from the opening battle sequence (in which young soldiers are forced into a hellish invasion that they are not likely to survive), this is an old-fashioned war epic that bears little resemblance to the Steven Spielberg epic. Jude Lawe plays a decorated Russian sniper, Vassili Zaitsevand and Joseph Fiennes a fellow officer and good friend.
The plot thickens when the two soldiers develop feelings for a young woman who provides a safe haven in her besieged neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Germans commision a sharp shooter of their own to take out the mythical Zaitesev. Enter Major Konig (Ed Harris), a sniper with his share of battle accolades. This set in motion, Zaitsev and Konig engage in a game of cat and mouse.
Enemy at the Gates was directed in a sprawling fashion by Jean-Jaques Annaud (Seven Years in Tibet). And while the film does offer moments of intensity, much of the film is surprisingly dull. Not in terms of the look (this film has absolutely spectacular art direction and cinematography), but the content. I do applaud Annaud for his realism. There is no sugar coating here. This film offers a fare share of death and carnage, but most of it we've seen before.
Lawe has done a lot of good work in supporting roles but here he gets the lead, and he makes the most of it. This isn't exactly a deep character, but Lawe is charismatic nonetheless. Fiennes is good, but this film doesn't do this actor justice (see his work in Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth). Rachel Weiz is merely an ornament, but she does stretch her dramatic chops a bit, something she didn't really get a chance to do in The Mummy.
Ed Harris (speaking without an accent) provides a kind of intense energy, but we never really get a sense of who this man is. Still, like Clint Eastwood, Harris can give a look that speaks a thousand words. My favorite performance comes courtesy of Bob Hoskins as Nikita Khrushchev. Although many will no doubt dismiss this as a caricature turn, I was immensely entertained by Hoskins and often forgot that it was him.
One of the most annoying aspects of Enemy at the Gates, is an all too familiar score by the usually dependable James Horner. Not only does the master composer seem to be borrowing from himself but the likes of John Williams as well. The end credits piece is a little too reminiscent of Schindler's List.
Enemy at the Gates is not a great film, but in a year of mediocre movies it feels like a classic. Annaud has created a beautiful film to look at. And although the story isn't always engaging, there's enough there to reccommend it.