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DramaWarHistoryRomance

Enemy at the Gates

- A single bullet can change history.

A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.

Release Date : 2001-02-28

Language :GermanEnglishRussian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Paramount PicturesMandalay PicturesKC MedienReperageDOSMP Film ManagementLittle BirdLions Gate FilmsSwanford Films

Production Country : FranceGermanyIrelandUnited KingdomUnited States of America

Alternative Titles : Enemy at the Gates

Cast

Jude Law

Character Name : Vassili Zaitsev

Original Name : Jude Law

Gender : Male

Joseph Fiennes

Character Name : Commisar Danilov

Original Name : Joseph Fiennes

Gender : Male

Rachel Weisz

Character Name : Tania Chernova

Original Name : Rachel Weisz

Gender : Female

Ed Harris

Character Name : Major König

Original Name : Ed Harris

Gender : Male

Bob Hoskins

Character Name : Nikita Khrushchev

Original Name : Bob Hoskins

Gender : Male

Ron Perlman

Character Name : Koulikov

Original Name : Ron Perlman

Gender : Male

Eva Mattes

Character Name : Mother Filipov

Original Name : Eva Mattes

Gender : Female

Gabriel Thomson

Character Name : Sacha Filipov

Original Name : Gabriel Thomson

Gender : Male

Matthias Habich

Character Name : General Paulus

Original Name : Matthias Habich

Gender : Male

Alexander Schwan

Character Name : Young Vassili Zaitsev

Original Name : Alexander Schwan

Gender : Male

Lenn Kudrjawizki

Character Name : Comrade in Train

Original Name : Lenn Kudrjawizki

Gender : Male

Gennadi Vengerov

Character Name : Russian NCO

Original Name : Gennadi Vengerov

Gender : Male

Dan van Husen

Character Name : Political Officer

Original Name : Dan van Husen

Gender : Male

Ivan Shvedoff

Character Name : Volodya

Original Name : Иван Шведов

Gender : Male

Sophie Rois

Character Name : Ludmilla

Original Name : Sophie Rois

Gender : Female

Mario Bandi

Character Name : Anton

Original Name : Mario Bandi

Gender : Male

Hans Martin Stier

Character Name : Red Army General

Original Name : Hans Martin Stier

Gender : Male

Clemens Schick

Character Name : German NCO

Original Name : Clemens Schick

Gender : Male

Hendrik Arnst

Character Name : Fat Colonel

Original Name : Hendrik Arnst

Gender : Male

Claudius Freyer

Character Name : Aide de Camp

Original Name : Claudius Freyer

Gender : Male

Dietmar Nieder

Character Name : Blond Captain

Original Name : Dietmar Nieder

Gender : Male

Bernd Lambrecht

Character Name : Captain with Lighter

Original Name : Bernd Lambrecht

Gender : Male

Jim Dowdall

Character Name : Stubborn Feldwebel

Original Name : Jim Dowdall

Gender : Male

Maxim Kovalevski

Character Name : Politruk / Sniper

Original Name : Максим Ковалевский

Gender : Male

Peter Silbereisen

Character Name : Sweating Officer

Original Name : Peter Silbereisen

Gender : Male

Markus Majowski

Character Name : Stammering Officer

Original Name : Markus Majowski

Gender : Male

Robert Stadlober

Character Name : Spotter

Original Name : Robert Stadlober

Gender : Male

Gotthard Lange

Character Name : Corpse Robber

Original Name : Gotthard Lange

Gender : Male

Anna Böttcher

Character Name : Female Russian Typist

Original Name : Anna Böttcher

Gender : Female

Holger Handtke

Character Name : Paulus' Aide de Camp

Original Name : Holger Handtke

Gender : Male

Marc Bischoff

Character Name : Stealing Photographer

Original Name : Marc Bischoff

Gender : Male

Mark Zak

Character Name : Russian Captain at Headquarters

Original Name : Mark Zak

Gender : Male

Thomas Petruo

Character Name : Russian Lieutenant

Original Name : Thomas Petruo

Gender : Male

Dmitri Alexandrov

Character Name : Comrade in Shelter

Original Name : Dmitri Alexandrov

Gender : Male

David Pagel

Character Name : Pravda Interviewer

Original Name : David Pagel

Gender : Male

Galina Dobberstein

Character Name : Izvestiya Interviewer

Original Name : Galina Dobberstein

Gender : Male

Igor Rozinsky

Character Name : Krasnaya Zvezda Interviewer

Original Name : Igor Rozinsky

Gender : Male

Sergei Tokarev

Character Name : Russian Reporter

Original Name : Sergei Tokarev

Gender : Male

Tom Wlaschiha

Character Name : Soldier

Original Name : Tom Wlaschiha

Gender : Male

Marischka Schubarth

Character Name : Woman Plucking Eyebrows

Original Name : Marischka Schubarth

Gender : Male

Natalya Bondar

Character Name : Woman Officer

Original Name : Natalya Bondar

Gender : Female

Dana Cebulla

Character Name : Athletic Female Sniper

Original Name : Dana Cebulla

Gender : Female

Piotr Papierz

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Piotr Papierz

Gender : Male

Jarek Wozniak

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Jarek Wozniak

Gender : Male

Genia Makarov

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Genia Makarov

Gender : Male

Werner Daehn

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Werner Daehn

Gender : Male

Birol Ünel

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Birol Ünel

Gender : Male

Grigori Kofmann

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Grigori Kofmann

Gender : Male

Aleksei Nesterov

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Aleksei Nesterov

Gender : Male

Vladimir Vilanov

Character Name : Politruk

Original Name : Vladimir Vilanov

Gender : Male

Aleksei Volodin

Character Name : Junior Politruk

Original Name : Aleksei Volodin

Gender : Male

Gennadi Tselbyansky

Character Name : Senior Politruk

Original Name : Gennadi Tselbyansky

Gender : Male

André Emanuel Kaminski

Character Name : Russian Trench Officer

Original Name : André Emanuel Kaminski

Gender : Male

Michael Schenk

Character Name : Russian Officer

Original Name : Michael Schenk

Gender : Male

Jury Cooper

Character Name : Russian NCO

Original Name : Jury Cooper

Gender : Male

Manfred Witt

Character Name : Russian NCO

Original Name : Manfred Witt

Gender : Male

Arslan Kodirov

Character Name : Chechen Sniper / Sniper / Russian Officer

Original Name : Arslan Kodirov

Gender : Male

Axel Neumann

Character Name : Gaunt German Prisoner

Original Name : Axel Neumann

Gender : Male

Morin Smole

Character Name : Sniper

Original Name : Morin Smole

Gender : Male

Inna Samain

Character Name : Sniper

Original Name : Inna Samain

Gender : Male

Keta Burowa

Character Name : Female Russian Radio Operator

Original Name : Keta Burowa

Gender : Male

Toby Cockerell

Character Name : Russian Sharpshooter (uncredited)

Original Name : Toby Cockerell

Gender : Male

Jürgen G.H. Hoppmann

Character Name : Russian railroad worker / Polish railroad worker (uncredited)

Original Name : Jürgen G.H. Hoppmann

Gender : Male

Kay Hunsicker

Character Name : Soldier (uncredited)

Original Name : Kay Hunsicker

Gender : Male

Eddy Joseph

Character Name : Voice on Tannoy (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Eddy Joseph

Gender : Male

Martin Glyn Murray

Character Name : Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Martin Glyn Murray

Gender : Male

Valentin Plătăreanu

Character Name : General Schmidt (uncredited)

Original Name : Valentin Plătăreanu

Gender : Male

Thomas Rösicke

Character Name : Russian Guard (uncredited)

Original Name : Thomas Rösicke

Gender : Male

Mikhail Matveev

Character Name : Grandfather

Original Name : Mikhail Matveev

Gender : Male

Reviews

W

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

***War of the rats in crumbling Stalingrad during WWII*** RELEASED IN 2001 and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, "Enemy at the Gates" takes place in the last four months of 1942 during the pivotal Battle of Stalingrad. Russian troops are carted in by the literal trainloads as the Germans attack/bomb the city. Once the dust clears the situation settles into a more personal battle of sharpshooting wills. A lowly young Russian soldier named Vassili (Jude Law) distinguishes himself for his shooting skills and is promoted as a national hero to motivate the Russian cause. After numerous German officers are assassinated, Major König (Ed Harris), the top German sniper, is assigned to seek out and eliminate Vassili. Most WWII films take place on the Western Front whereas "Enemy" is one of only two mainline films I can think of that address the Eastern front, the other being Sam Peckinpah's underrated "Cross of Iron" (1977). Three things stuck in my mind after seeing “Enemy at the Gates” years ago: (1.) The opening sequence where the Russian troops are boated across the Volga to join the fight is extremely harrowing, not far removed from the opening D-Day invasion in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998), but different. “Enemy” is worth viewing for this sequence alone. (2.) The city-in-rubble sets with bodies strewn everywhere had a lasting impression on me as did the scurrying-like-rats-through-the-rubble warfare. (3.) Some may find this weird, but I always remembered the discreet lovemaking scene while the soldiers lain in the rubble trying to sleep. I'm not sure why this left an impression, maybe because it struck me as so real: Men & women would be drawn to one another and mate even in the worst possible scenarios. The film was based on the book "War of the Rats" by David L. Robbins and thus intentionally provokes the imagery of human rats scurrying through the debris. The cast also includes Joseph Fiennes as the political officer who elevates Vassili to hero status via his pamphlets and articles, while Rachel Weisz plays the romantic interest between the two. Ron Perlman is also on hand in a limited role as Vassili's sharpshooting comrade. As with any film based on historical events there are facts-obsessed critics who decry the lack of authenticity in this or that detail (e.g. "The zippers on the trousers aren't right, blasphemy!!"), but "Enemy" gets the gist correct and, besides, it motivates the viewer to research the actual Battle of Stalingrad. What more can you ask for? The fact is Vassili had 260 verified Nazi kills and played a key role in motivating the Russians to victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, the largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare (with roughly 2 million killed, wounded or captured). The movie effectively shows how the Russian combatants weren't necessarily professionally trained soldiers; many of them were peasants, workers, teachers, mailmen, farmers, etc. They knew they could die the next morning hence they celebrated (and made love) while they could. Stalingrad was one of the major turning points of World War II; from then on it was all downhill for Germany. FINAL WORD: "Enemy at the Gates" details an oft-ignored important aspect of WWII, the Eastern front. It has several memorable scenes, especially the opening crossing of the Volga and also a clever sequence involving a large shard of reflective glass. THE FILM RUNS 2 hours, 11 minutes and was shot entirely in Germany (Brandenburg and Bavaria). GRADE: B+