Enemy at the Gates (UK)

8 / 10
6 votes cast
Rate this item

Some men are born to be heroes
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 131 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
An all-star cast lights up the screen in this riveting epic hailed as "a vivid dramatization of one of history`s titanic turning points." (Gene Shalit, TODAY)

The year is 1942 and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins), the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Vassili`s deeds have become legendary - thanks to propaganda produced by Vassili`s best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Vassili, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier (Rachel Weisz), Danilov deserts his friend, leaving Vassili to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Vassili and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor and country.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Feature-length Director`s Audio Commentary
Featurette: `Inside Enemy at the Gates`
Cast and Crew Interviews
`Stalingrad`
Eight Deleted Scenes, with option to watch them in their correct place in the movie
Trailers
Storyboards
Picture Gallery

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.78:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
DTS 5.1 English

Directed By:
Jean-Jacques Annaud

Written By:
Alain Godard
Jean-Jacques Annaud

Starring:
Eva Mattes
Ron Perlman
Ed Harris
Bob Hoskins
Rachel Weisz
Joseph Fiennes
Jude Law

Casting By:
Ros Hubbard
John Hubbard

Soundtrack By:
James Horner

Director of Photography:
Robert Fraisse

Editor:
Humphrey Dixon
Noëlle Boisson

Costume Designer:
Janty Yates

Production Designer:
Wolf Kroeger

Producer:
John D. Schofield
Jean-Jacques Annaud

Executive Producer:
Alisa Tager
Jörg Reichl
Roland Pellegrino
Alain Godard

Distributor:
Entertainment In Video

Your Opinions and Comments

4 / 10

Hogwash!

posted by Richard73 on 5/12/2001 00:07

8 / 10

Lets face it, Stalin - killed millions, evil bastard and Hitler - killed million, evil bastard. Snipers, dirty underhand fighters that hide and sneak about shooting people who don`t have a chance to retailiate. Who are we supposed to cheer for?

A gripping film, fantastic sound - the ground in my house vibrated with the bombs and explosions. Bit of romance for the girls, big explosions and guns for the boys.

posted by Tubs74 on 17/12/2001 17:45

8 / 10

A well presented DVD and not bad film. I think people still see it as a ordinary war film. In my opinion it is a thriller and well put together little storyline. The film has an illustrious british cast including:
Joseph Fiennes
Jude Law
Rachel weisz
and Bob Hoskins who has only really come back into the film and tv spotlight.Ed Harris plays the confident taunter in the film and one of his best performances ever.

posted by D.stent on 24/12/2001 17:43

7 / 10

I didn`t find the movie particularly gripping, but Law`s performance was certainly up to scratch and Ed Harris also does a decent job. This movie doesn`t stand out when compared to other recent war flicks.

The extra features are as good as can be expected. I haven`t listened to the commentry (the director doesn`t seem very interesting, so i`m not optimistic).

posted by Rich_H on 27/8/2002 17:16

7 / 10

Not bad… not great. pretty middle of the road really. I'm not a big fan of war films, although this one does concentrate on the human aspect rather than being one big set piece. The disc itself is pretty good. Video and audio quality are excellent, and we get a nice bunch of extras.

There's a directors commentary, 2 making of type docs that are mostly interviews of the main cast & crew, a 25 minute documentary on Stalingrad (subtitled), 8 deleted scenes with can either be watched separately or branched seamlessly into the film, a trailer, filmographies of the main cast & the director, a storyboard comparison and a whole bunch of poster.

While this isn't a fantastic film, it is a good war movie if you like that sort of thing, presented on great DVD package. I did enjoy this film while not being a huge fan of the genre, certainly worth a rent.

Oh, and the animated menus are a nice touch.

posted by Rich Davies on 15/10/2002 22:01