Bob Hoskins as Krushcev? (Enemy at the Gates (DVD))

Member Name: mqueen

Product:	Enemy at the Gates (DVD)
Date:	17/10/01 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enlightening on stalingrad

Disadvantages: Dark, depressing, english accents.

As someone who is fascinated by the two world wars, and as I read and watch everything I can on the subject, I had to see Enemy at the Gates.
The story, is loosely based on the Russian hero Vassily Zeitsev, played by Jude Law, the first rate sniper who fought in the ruins of Stalingrad.

As if we didn't know already, the battle for Stalingrad was probably the most savage of the entire War, with hundreds of thousands of Germans and Russians killed, not forgetting the Italians, Romanians and other nationalities forced to fight for the Germans.

The fight scenes were quite well executed, but, not as authentic as they could be, with some poor computer graphics on display, but, the overall tense and oppressive fear was adequately portrayed. Ed Harris was the expert German sniper sent in to take out Jude Law, hoping to totally demoralise the Russians. Ed Harris was close, but didn't quite convince, but, neither did Bob Hoskins as Nikita Krushcev! He felt it good to talk, which he did constantly in a cockney accent, which ruined it for me.

In fact, I think all the Russians spoke in either Cockney or Eton English, and the viewer was left thinking that the English were fighting instead of the Russians.

This aside, the tension was kept up through some harrowing action sequences, and made us all thankful that we were never there in 1942-3, such was the destruction and misery.

The whole film, although enlightening about the doom of Stalingrad, was a very depressing affair, mainly because of the darkness of the filming, the thousands gunned down, the bombs, the blood, and the English accents. I left the cinema thoroughly deflated and forlorn.

Although the scale of wanton carnage was well portrayed, the film was largely wasted partly because of the lack of attention to the finer details, (those accents!), and the plot and dialogue. The audience wasn't really invited into the lives of the characters, and so c
ouldn't identfy and didn't want to identify with them. Overall, a bit of a misfire. Far better to watch Band of Brothers (please see my op!)on friday evenings. This is far more serious and realistic and involving for the viewer.

Summary: