ENEMY AT THE GATES (CHECKPOINT)(DVD)DOLBY DIGITAL(ENGLISH 5.1 SURROUND DVD

Enemy at the Gates
A turning point in 20th century war history is the focus of this fact-based account of the 1942-1943 battle of Stalingrad, in which the Germans were finally defeated by Russian influence -- one of the bloodiest battles in World War II history. The film stars Jude Law as Vassili, a marksman from the Urals who is transported to Stalingrad in 1942, and a master German sniper, Major Koenig (Ed Harris). Koenig, an expert German sniper, is determined to eliminate his formidable opponent by any means necessary; meanwhile, Vassili has joined forces with Danilov (Joseph Fiennes), a young Russian political adversary, who is impressed by Vassili's skills and raises his profile in the Soviet Union. Both Vassili and Danilov become involved with Tanya (Rachel Weisz), whose Jewish parents have been captured by the Germans and have forced her to take up with the men on a sniper expedition. Koenig and Vassili begin to develop traps for each other, until fate inevitably must bring the two sharpshooters together. This large-scale production, financed mostly by Teuton companies, also features Bob Hoskins as Nikita Krushchev and Ron Perlman as an aging Russian sniper. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Cast Joseph Fiennes as Danilov Jude Law as Vassili Rachel Weisz as Tania Bob Hoskins as Khrushchev Ed Harris as Konig Ron Perlman as Koulikov Eva Mattes as Mother Filipov Matthais Habich as General von Paulus Sophie Rois as Ludmilla Mikhail Matveev as Vassili's grandfather

Crew Steve Lawrence - Art Director Dominic Masters - Art Director Ros Hubbard - Casting John Hubbard - Casting Janty Yates - Costume Designer Gerry Gavigan - First Assistant Director Jean-Jacques Annaud - Director Allen Smith - Second Unit Director Humphrey Dixon - Editor Noëlle Boisson - Editor Alisa Tager - Executive Producer Alain Godard - Executive Producer James Horner - Composer (Music Score) Wolf Kroeger - Production Designer Robert Fraisse - Cinematographer John D. Schofield - Producer Jean-Jacques Annaud - Producer Peter Chiang - Special Effects Eddy Joseph - Sound/Sound Designer Chris Carpenter - Sound/Sound Designer Martin Mueller - Sound/Sound Designer Jim Dowdall - Stunts Coordinator Alain Godard - Screenwriter Jean-Jacques Annaud - Screenwriter Allen Smith - Additional Cinematography David Zelon - Executive in Charge of Production Steven Rosenblum - Additional Editing Das Werk - Digital Effects

Enemy at the Gates
If one thought the backlash against Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan was unwarranted, then it would be best to channel those negative feelings toward Jean-Jacques Annaud's crude, poorly cast World War II drama. Using Ryan as a primer for faux jingoistic wartime clichés, the film never makes the brutality of Stalingrad palpable on any sensible level, merely wallowing in mediocrity from one ill-conceived scene to the next. The casting is equally baffling, with Brits Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes playing Russians and all-American Ed Harris playing a German. The film may have paid off if any actor were properly suited to his role. As it is, the leads are not nearly commanding enough to convince as battle soldiers, and Harris fails to make his ruthless sniper much more than a stock villain. A few scenes have requisite suspense, but are quickly undone by the director's unsteady hand and the silly screenplay, which makes it nearly impossible to comprehend the characters' actions. The movie is reportedly the highest-budgeted European feature in history, due to its lengthy, violent scenes of combat, which also seem directly inspired by Spielberg's picture. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 131 min Part of Series: Paramount Widescreen Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- WIDESCREEN 0. Scene Selections 1. The Wolf Hunter [2:46] 2. Crossing The Volga [7:00] 3. Suicide Charge [:16] 4. Five Bullets [5:07] 5. Stalin's Envoy [4:49] 6. Major Konig [2:08] 7. The Department Store [7:50] 8. Kruschev's Menace [4:12] 9. Steel Teeth [2:54] 10. Koulikov's Death [3:07] 11. Tania's Parents [6:02] 12. The Tractor Factory [3:43] 13. Mirror Effect [:42] 14. Intimacy [5:20] 15. Sacha's Risk [4:12] 16. Among The Dead [2:22] 17. The Young Cobbler's Fate [5:42] 18. Danilov's Remorse [:03] 19. Duel [1:32] 20. Victory [6:35]