Enemy at the Gates

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Enemy at the Gates

R

2001

2h 11m

War

Drama

Action

History

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

139 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Vassili is a young Russian sharpshooter who becomes a legend when a savvy political officer makes him the hero of his propaganda campaign. Their friendship is threatened when both men fall in love with a beautiful female soldier. As the battle for the city rages, Vassili faces the ultimate challenge when the Nazi command dispatches its most elite marksman to hunt down and kill the man who has become the hope of all Russia.

Critics Consensus

Atmospheric and thrilling, Enemy at the Gates gets the look and feel of war right. However, the love story seems out of place.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/24/2010

4/5

Tense and violent WWII movie.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

02/09/2007

There's never much risk of reality intruding--just a lot of histrionic James Horner music nd plenty of designer stubble on the soldiers' faces.

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Time Out

01/26/2006

Set-pieces get you so far (and Annaud delights in blowing this set to pieces), but the script's shortcomings aren't camouflaged by the decision to adopt Home Counties' accents as the film's lingua franca.

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Michael Sragow

Baltimore Sun

07/15/2023

3/4

Without its ambitious underpinnings, these virtuoso set pieces wouldn't flicker with emotion. In Enemy at the Gates, gravity has entertainment value, at least to those who can respond to wartime fervor.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

10/02/2020

2.5/5

Time and time again, Enemy at the Gates squanders its pulse-pounding momentum on long, high-falutin' stretches of pointy-headed pretentiousness that just get in the road of the good stuff.

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Mark Steyn

The Spectator

01/30/2018

Everything in the movie is obstinately stupid.

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Blake- N

@PBSAniDom 1d

Enemy at the Gates (2001) delivers a gritty, immersive look at the Battle of Stalingrad, focusing on the psychological cat‑and‑mouse game between snipers. Its stark cinematography and relentless tension pull you into the horrors and heroism of war without glorifying it. The film’s mature storytelling shines through nuanced characters, especially the conflicted protagonists whose personal stakes mirror the larger conflict. The dialogue is sharp, and the moral ambiguity keeps you questioning who the real enemy is. Technical aspects impress: authentic period detail, gritty sound design, and a haunting score that amplifies the dread of urban combat. The sniper duels are choreographed with precision, making every shot feel consequential. Overall, Enemy at the Gates is a compelling, unflinching war drama that respects its audience’s intelligence. I give it 8/10.

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Ryan F.

@RT27980512 May 23

This movie is so laughably bad that I had to make a Rotten Tomatoes account just to say so publicly. Every time I thought that it couldn’t get any worse, it immediately proved me wrong. It also includes a troublingly odd sex scene. Two stars because I’m intrigued by such a catastrophic misappropriation of money and talent.

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Keith B.

@Okbullard May 12

Like some of the other reviews I really liked the first 45 minutes or so then it seemed to drag and stall. Also the love scene was bizarre and out of place. I've never been impressed with Jude Law but he did well in this one. Rachel Weiss and Ed Harris were both very good as well. I can't wholly recommend this film.

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Blue T

@NK2011 Mar 20

The first thirty minutes was amazing but then it became boring. I had expected more to happen. Also, the intimacy scene threw me off.

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Ari V

@RT59419633 Mar 3

Far too much zionist/cia propaganda and far too little anything else (other than goodlooking, talented people sugarcoating it) for this to be particularly connectable.

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Garrett B

@gmoney637 Feb 3

A slow, sluggish, and poorly written war film that wastes its potential cast.

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Jean-Jacques Annaud

Director

Joseph Fiennes

Danilov

Jude Law

Vasily Zaitsev

Rachel Weisz

Tania Chernova

Bob Hoskins

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Ed Harris

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Synopsis

Vassili is a young Russian sharpshooter who becomes a legend when a savvy political officer makes him the hero of his propaganda campaign. Their friendship is threatened when both men fall in love with a beautiful female soldier. As the battle for the city rages, Vassili faces the ultimate challenge when the Nazi command dispatches its most elite marksman to hunt down and kill the man who has become the hope of all Russia.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Producer: John D. Schofield, Jean-Jacques Annaud
Screenwriter: Jean-Jacques Annaud, Alain Godard
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Swanford Films, Reperage, Little Bird, DOS, Mandalay Pictures, Paramount Pictures, KC Medien AG
Rating: R (Strong Graphic War Violence|Some Sexuality)
Genre: War, Drama, Action, History, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $51.4M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)