"'Enemy' of the State"
by Scott Mantz

"Enemy at the Gates"
Jude Law, Ed Harris
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud

War games! Jude Law meets his match in "Enemy at the Gates"

Even though minor conflicts continue to plague the world these days, it's still mind-boggling to remember just how devastating World War II really was. Thriving cities turned into bloody battlegrounds, and people were killed faster than their bodies could be buried. "Enemy at the Gates" succeeds in depicting this carnage in all its bloody glory (even giving the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" a run for its money), and despite moments of genuine intensity, the film is still hampered by weak character development, sloppy editing, and an inferior script.

The time is late 1942, and the Soviet Union is on the verge of total collapse. Hitler's army has advanced as far as Stalingrad, and if the Russians lose this battle, then they will lose the war. When political officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) witnesses sharpshooter Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) knock off 5 Nazis in as many bullets, he builds him up as a bona-fide hero in an effort to signify hope for the nearly defeated Russian army. That alliance is threatened with the arrival of Tania (Rachel Weisz), an attractive translator who finds herself at the center of a war-torn love triangle, and Major Konig (Ed Harris), the German sniper who is sent in to finish Zaitsev once and for all.

"Enemy at the Gates" is a seriously flawed film that is interspersed with moments of sheer brilliance. The cat-and-mouse game between Zaitsev and Konig gets so personal and intense, that it feels like the ravaged city is simply a maze for them to play their deadly game. At its best, the film resembles "High Noon" in its depiction of responsibility over love and "Heat" in its depiction of respect for two equally skilled, but ultimately doomed enemies.

The film tries to take on epic proportions with a love triangle between Zaitsev, Danilov, and Tania, but it just doesn't work. After standing up to then-general Nikita Khrushchev about the importance of portraying Zaitsev as a hero to give hope to the union, it doesn't make sense why Danilov would risk blowing it all for the sake of a woman who isn't even giving him the time of day in the first place. It's more of a distraction, and had this subplot been eliminated completely, then "Enemy at the Gates" would have turned out to be one tight and intensely-paced war movie.

In addition, the film seems to be lacking in the even flow department. In one scene, Zaitsev is in a tight spot while he tries to lure Konig out into the open, and in the next, he's back in the relative safety of his Russian compound. There's no indication of how he got there, and noticeable loopholes like these happen throughout the course of the film.

Jude Law is certainly a commanding presence, but the weakness of the material doesn't give him the chance to follow up on his firecracker performance in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." His reluctance to be the poster boy for Russian hope is hampered by any insight into his background, and despite one particularly erotic scene between him and Rachel Weisz amidst the dirty and crowded surroundings of the Russian barracks, he isn't able to convey the romantic intensity that he was obviously born to do.

Following on the heels of his passionate performance as the tortured artist in "Pollock," Ed Harris gives a more subdued--but just as effective--performance as Law's nemesis. Despite his dirty and grimy surrounding, Harris struggles to be prim and proper, and he's even sympathetic to the traitorous young boy who serves as his liaison to Law. Ultimately, after evading each other for most of the film (think Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in "Heat"), their final confrontation is too brief to give the film a more satisfying payoff.

After introducing a number of elements without developing them or tying them up in a more effective way, "Enemy at the Gates" is simply a good movie that could have been great. That's too bad, because in light of its visually stunning and realistic depiction of war and its uplifting message about the power of hope, the film, like the rest of the soldiers who died in the war, deserved better.

Back to Scott's New Movie Reviews

Review Archives