Enemy at the gates [DVD]

In 1942 with World War II raging, the battle for Stalingrad becomes a focal point for the Nazi war against Europe and in particular Russia. A simple farm boy and talented sharpshooter named Vassili gains notoriety for his ability to kill German military officers. Danilov, a Soviet political propagandist working for Krushchev builds Vassili into a military hero in order to boost flagging military morale. In retaliation the Nazi’s send their best sniper, Major Koenig, to Russia to kill Vassili, who has become a symbol of potential Russian victory. As Koenig and Vassili set trap and counter-trap for each other, Danilov and Vassili come to loggerheads over a Russian soldier Tanya, whom they both love. Set in a spectacularly decaying city, “Enemy at the gates” successfully evokes the gruesome brutality and chaos of World War II as well as the ruthless machinations of the Russian propaganda machine. Purportedly the most expensive production to be shot in Europe, the film stars Jude Law, Bob Hoskins, Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes and Ed Harris.