 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Enemy at the Gates
- Review Date: May 19, 2003
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 2001
Common Sense Media says
Tense and violent WWII movie.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a very tense and violent movie, with graphic battle scenes and piles of dead bodies. Characters are in constant peril and many are killed, including a child. There is a brief but fairly explicit sexual encounter with brief nudity. The characters use strong language, drink, and smoke.
What's the story?
It is 1942, the Germans are invading Stalingrad, and the Russians are overmatched. A tough new commanding officer, Nikita Krushchev (Bob Hoskins) asks for suggestions on how to build the morale of his soldiers. Young political officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) makes a suggestion -- "give them heroes." He's seen a soldier kill five Germans, each with a single shot. The soldier is Vassily Zaitsev (Jude Law), a poor, uneducated boy, but a sharpshooter. Danilov's propaganda makes Zaitsev a legend. The Germans send their own legendary sniper, Koenig (Ed Harris), to kill him. Danilov sees Koenig's arrival as a chance for bigger and better propaganda. Koenig is a nobleman, adding a class war to the story. But everything Danilov does to make Zaitsev a hero and an asset to the Soviets makes him more vulnerable to discovery and attack by the Germans. Things get even more complicated when Danilov and Zaitsev fall for the same girl, a tough soldier named Tania (Rachel Weisz).
Is it any good?
ENEMY AT THE GATES is a thinking person's historical epic, so impressively ambitious in taking on issues and ideas that you have to cut it some slack when it does not manage them all as skillfully as it hopes to. The story of the German siege of Leningrad is worth a movie in itself. The cat and mouse game between Koenig and Zaitsev is like something out of a classic western, more much about strategy, courage, ingenuity, and patience as about sharpshooting. The issue of using one individual's story to manipulate the masses plays out fascinatingly throughout the movie. It is reminiscent of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence's famous line, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." If the love triangle is the weakest part of the movie, that is only because the rest of it is so strong.
All four stars are excellent, especially Law's guileless integrity and Harris' variation -- a sort of guile-full integrity. When the two men face off against each other, it's clear that they understand each other in a way that no one else ever can.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the effect that fame has on people. At first, Zaitsev innocently enjoys the attention, though he never lets it go to his head. Later he says, "I can't carry that weight any more. I want to fight as a regular soldier." Was what Danilov did necessary? Was it fair to Zaitsev? Did it do what it was intended to? How was that similar to what the Germans did to Koenig? (Think about the scene where he turns in his dogtags)? Why did Tania chose the one she loves? Think about what it says about the real Zaitsev at the end of the movie -- does the movie do to the real Zaitsev what Danilov did to the fictional one?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Teen, 14 years old
February 24, 2009
AGE
pretty good movie
i sorta liked this movie. It wasn't outstanding but it still told the story of one the most famous snipers in history. Pretty bloody though. Almost everyone gets shot in the head. 13+
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
And i Saw this in School
I saw this movie in my history class. it was for our section on WWII. It was a good movie and it showed the risk involved doing that job. There were some parts that i would have liked to miss such as watching bodies sway in the breeze, and people being shot in the head, and bombs, blowing up people from limb to limb. overall, it was a good movie and i would recommend it.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
August 12, 2010
AGE
So-So
This movie wasnt as good as i expected it to be. There were a few too disturbing images and an unecessary sex scene. The romantic sub plot between Vasilli and Tanya is syrupy and mushy. These things drag the film down from what could have been a great movie. Suggested MPAA rating: R for strong graphic war violence, a scene of sexuality, some language and some disturbing images.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Adult
November 17, 2010
AGE
good
but the sex scene is unnecessary to be that lengthy
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Jean-Jacques Annaud |
| Cast: | Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 131 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 16, 2001 |
| DVD release date: | August 14, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong graphic war violence and some sexuality |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
