80
This is spectacle cinema made with individual flair; maybe someone in Hollywood will notice that it's still possible.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
20
He (Annaud) doesn't have a clue how to dramatize the romance. Fiennes, whose eyes are extremely close together, stares with a mixture of rage and longing at Weisz, whose eyes are extremely far apart, and the film turns into "The Dating Game" designed by Picasso.
60
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
As long as you focus on the central sniper-versus-sniper story -- and not the dreadful mishmash of jarring accents or the film's unconvincing romantic subplot or any of the personal relationships -- you'll enjoy it.
90
Though issues of politics and philosophy are touched upon, this is a film about the people inside the uniforms -- a story of human beings under pressure, forced by circumstance to make choices both impulsive and, on occasion, heroic. It's also the new year's single most satisfying movie experience thus far.
88
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
The sniper's life is a lonely one, full of shallow breathing and delayed gratification. Solitary as it is, Jude Law manages to get a little action in the bunkers of wartime Stalingrad in the ambitious but sometimes inadvertently silly Enemy at the Gates.
50
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
Has little to occupy us once its battle scenes recede. One of those goofy movies where devil-may-care Russian soldiers unwind by playing the balalaika far into the night, it takes itself far more seriously than anyone else will be able to manage.
75
Enemy at the Gates, is no "Saving Private Ryan" - but thrilling, bravura stretches make it consistently entertaining, if less than profound, filmmaking.
75
Baltimore Sun by Michael Sragow
Keeps its eye on the big picture even when focusing on the small scene.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
At times, the sight of reserved English actors slapping, hugging and acting all Russian looks bizarre, though one casting choice is prime: Bob Hoskins has the ideal air of impish menace in the featured role of Khrushchev.
50
Miami Herald by Rene Rodriguez
Enemy at the Gates will pique your interest in the Battle of Stalingrad, but it leaves that interest sadly unsated.