Enemy at the Gates

D: Jean-Jacques Annaud; with Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Ed Harris, Ron Perlman.

Based on a true story, Enemy at the Gates channels Jude Law’s smolder in a role that reflects all the gunmetal cool of Barry Pepper’s penitent sniper from Saving Private Ryan. Law plays champion Russian marksman Vassili Zaitsev, who is made a legend by a political officer (Fiennes) who publishes the word that he can take out any enemy with a single, well-placed shot. Coupled with stories suggesting he had scored 40 kills in a 10-day period, rumors of Zaitsev’s deadly accuracy quickly transformed the decorated World War II sharpshooter into one of Germany’s prime targets. Based on Zaitsev’s real-life duel with a skilled German trigger man (Harris), the film enhances its cold-blooded mentality with a love triangle among friends. Just the combination we might expect from director Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Lover, The Name of the Rose), a master of both tension and passion. (Feb. TBA)

This article appears in November 24 • 2000.

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