Weekend DVD Review

Enemy at the Gates (2001) stars Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, and Bob Hoskins. It's a World War 2 movie focusing on Russia vs. Germany, which is a side of the war not covered much in Hollywood movies. The focus is on the city of Stalingrad, which historically was the site where the Russian army turned back the advancing German army. What makes this part of the story so interesting is how the Russian officers and army leaders treated their average soldier (not very good), which was accurately portrayed in the movie. What brought down the movie is the rather one dimensional characters of Jude Law (a Russian sniper dude who has an English accent) and Ed Harris (a German sniper dude who talks like an American). Even the pleasant-looking Rachel Weisz didn't have much depth. What essentially saves the movie is the opening scenes where the Russian soldiers defend Stalingrad. Overall, a 3.5 out of 5 stars. 2 stars knocked off for below average character depth, but I added a 1/2 star because I keep wanting to say "Enema at the Gates".