Intermission: 'Enemy at the Gates' brings war's reality to screen

"Enemy at the Gates"

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Starring: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins

Rated: R

Just a couple of years ago, Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" set new standards for the war picture. The opening sequence was quite spectacular, and certainly epic in its presentation of the invasion of Normandy. Jean-Jacques Annaud's latest film, "Enemy at the Gates," will no doubt draw many comparisons to "Ryan," and mostly for the film's opening act.

For my money, Annaud goes one better in his up-close-and-personal depiction of the initial battle at Stalingrad. We hear bullets ripping clothing and flesh and witness the utter futility of this battle, and Annaud's approach is not quite so huge in its portrayal. I found this battle scene even more disturbing than Spielberg's.

After this first act, "Enemy at the Gates" narrows its perspective to just a handful of characters soldiers and citizens caught up in one of World War II's most bitter conflicts.

Jude Law plays Vassili, a Russian soldier involved in the front-line defense of Stalingrad. He somehow survives the insane line of defense but for a time must lay motionless among a mound of corpses to avoid certain death.

Another soldier, Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), is doing the same. Vassili borrows Danilov's rifle and knocks out a few key Germans with a skill possessed only by a true marksman. Danilov, who works for the propaganda division of the Russian army, realizes that this is what the Russian people need to maintain their spirit: a hero of mythic proportions.

Danilov and Vassili survive, and Danilov begins printing newsletters featuring the exploits of Vassili, who has become a highly regarded member of the sniper division of what is left of the Russian army in Stalingrad. So great are his feats (at least as portrayed by Danilov) that the Germans decide to send their own top-notch sniper to Stalingrad with the expressed purpose of putting an end to Comrade Vassili.

Ed Harris plays the part of German marksman Major Konig. It's when he arrives on the scene that "Enemy at the Gates" gets down to the business at hand. The main body of the film, apart from a love story subplot involving Vassili, Danilov and a striking (unbelievably so) female Russian soldier, is a cat-and- mouse game between Konig and Vassili.

The story here is based on fact. Many World War II experts believe that after Hitler's failure to capture Stalingrad, the German war effort went into steep decline.

Harris is always great, and his portrayal of the calculating German rifleman ranks with his finest work. In one devastating scene in the third act, we are made painfully aware of the depths to which Nazi soldiers were committed to the cause. As in most good movies, the audience can identify somewhat with the "bad guy," but after we see what Konig is truly made of, we can only hope for his ultimate defeat.

When the confrontation comes at the climax of "Enemy at the Gates," I believe everyone in the audience is hoping Herr Konig gets what's coming to him.

Jude Law, as Vassili, does a great job as well. He plays the role not as an over-the-top action hero, but rather as an average Joe (or maybe an average Ivan) caught up in the madness of war. What he, along with the other members of the Russian resistance, has going for him is an ingrained love of the Motherland and his desire to keep it out of the hands of the Nazi invaders. Patriotism, when based on real emotion, can be an incredible driving force.

More than a typical "war movie," "Enemy at the Gates" puts a personal face on the goings on that occur during the most insane of times.

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)