I am a stone. I do not move. (Enemy at the Gates (DVD))

Member Name: Kepler

Product:	Enemy at the Gates (DVD)
Date:	05/03/04 (733 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great battle scenes, Tense action

Disadvantages: Some average acting

Enemy at the Gates is a film directed and produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Seven years in Tibet) and was released in 2001. The film is loosely based around the real life exploits of Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law), a Russian sniper who fought in the battle for the ruined city of Stalingrad during the Second World War. The film starts in a snowy field with boy lying next to a bush holding a rifle. About fifty metres away a wolf is prowling in the snow stalking a horse that is tethered to a tree stump. The boy watches the wolf plodding through the snow and aims his rifle as these words are uttered in a barely perceptible whisper,

?I am a stone, I do not move. I put snow in my mouth so he won?t see my breath. I take my time, I let him come closer. I have only one bullet, I aim at his eye; very gently my finger presses on the trigger. I have no fear, I?m a big boy now?

As the scene pans out we see that next to him is his Grandfather and it is him who is speaking the words, instructing the young boy. We learn that the young boys name is Vassili and as the wolf approaches his Grandfather screams at him to pull the trigger, the gun fires and we are given a black screen bearing the title of the film. I wouldn?t normally have bothered to describe a whole scene like that but it made such an impression on me when I watched this film that I felt it important to describe it. It really is one of the best opening sequences to a film (that didn?t involve dismembered body parts) that I have seen. It immediately transports you into the fictional world and the way it is filmed really grabs your attention.

We then take a time jump and Vassili is young man on a train bound for Stalingrad, it is 1942 and the Germans control most of the city. The Russians are furiously throwing rank after rank of soldiers into Stalingrad, desperately trying to wrest control from the Germans. The train is bringing in yet more Russian men, most of whom have never even fir

ed a gun let alone fought in a war. Vassili is thrown into the battle head first with all the other new recruits and through a chance meeting with Danilov, (Joseph Fiennes) a political officer he ends up in the sniper division. As more and more of the Russian army are killed in Stalingrad Vassili quietly stalks his enemies one at a time. As his fame grows, with a little help from Danilov and his media connections, he attracts the attention of a top German sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris) who is sent into Stalingrad to kill him.

The main focus of the film is on the private duel between Vassili and Major Konig, and we follow them around the city as they stalk each other patiently. The action builds slowly throughout the film and reaches breaking point at the end when Vassili and the Major face off for the final time. There are also a couple of other stories, which intertwine with the main plot; one follows the fortunes of Sacha (Gabriel Thompson) a young Russian boy who mends the German soldier?s boots in exchange for chocolate. The other I won?t go into, as it would spoil some major parts of the story. While this film is rated as a 15 (as there is a mild sex scene), there isn?t a lot of blood and gore on show. The action is handled realistically but we aren?t treated to flying limbs and gaping wounds as we are in some other war films.

The performances in the film are in my opinion, a little mixed. Jude Law puts in an ok performance as the unassuming and self-contained Vassili but at times (when he?s angry) he loses control and his East End accent comes blurting out which detracts from the reality of the situation. Listen out for this at the end of the film when he promises to get the Major?s gun as it is really obvious. The best performance of the film however, comes from Bob Hoskins (no really), who plays the angry and uncompromising Kruschev, the Russian General sent in to take back control of Stalingrad. Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, A
bou
t a Boy) puts in an adequate but hardly stunning performance as the love interest but I?m not a fan of hers so maybe that?s just me. Joseph Fiennes is good as the ambitious Political Officer Danilov and Ed Harris is superb as the determined and mysterious German sniper, Major Konig.

If you are a fan of war films and haven?t seen this yet then I would definitely recommend that you give it a go. While some of the acting is at best average the film has a superb story behind it which really helps to keep you engaged. The cinematography is excellent and there are some particularly good battle scenes as the recruits take the perilous journey across the river Volga. The ruined city of Stalingrad is depicted brilliantly and while all the action takes place in the city you are always served up a different view which helps to keep the film fresh.

This film comes as a single DVD, which contains the main feature and a good selection of extras. The DVD has a commentary from the director as well as some deleted scenes and also the theatrical trailer. It also has 3 documentaries that explore the making of the film and some additional information concerning the real story behind the film.

DVD information

Running Time: 125 minutes
Aspect Ration: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Yes

This DVD can be purchased from www.dvd.co.uk for just £7.99.

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