Enemy at the Gates is the thrilling film adaptation of the true story of Vassili Zaitsev, a Russian foot soldier turned national war hero through the use of skillful propaganda. Zaitsev (Jude Law) is just like all of the other grunts in the Russian army turned loose to storm the Nazis in their attempt to protect their beloved Stalingrad from takeover. That is, except that he is a very skilled sniper. When everyone around him is mowed down by either the Nazis or by their own Russian officers as they attempt to fall back, Vassili finds himself spared and survives by remaining silent amongst the dead and quietly picking off Nazi officers from afar. Here, he meets Commisar Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) and the two eventually become best friends. After seeing what an amazing sniper Vassili is in the field, Danilov beseeches his commander, Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins), to allow him to print the news of Vassili as a hero in an attempt to boost severely lacking morale. It works and overnight, Vassili becomes a national sensation. So much so, that the Nazis have started to take notice and have sent their crack sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to go after Vassili and kill him.

Once Konig is on the scene, the noose begins to tighten around Vassili. His sniper team is picked off, one by one, including his partner, Koulikov (Ron Perlman). He finds himself being hunted, just as he hunts, only better. Even as Vassili has risen to the rank of hero-status, he only wants to go back to being a regular soldier and even finds love in the arms of fellow soldier, Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, Danilov also loves Tania and this love triangle threatens to compromise Vassili's safety. As a deadly but crucial game of cat and mouse is played out between Vassili and Konig, the outcome could very well turn the tide of war for the Russian Army, and both parties know this. Lines are crossed, betrayals take place and difficult sacrifices are made, finally culminating in the thrilling and satisfying finale.

This movie is simply fantastic. For any history buff and fan of WWII movies, this is a must-see film. Jude Law and Ed Harris are riveting in their intensity and their eyes portray their characters' feelings better than anything else. Weisz is lovely but strong and determined as Tania, and Fiennes does a convincing job as well. After watching the special features, I was even more impressed since the set for the Red Square was built for this movie. The scale of the film is pretty epic and they did an amazing job. Among the special features were a making-of featurette, a handful of deleted scenes and another featurette where the actors discussed the challenges of their roles. It's all good stuff, but unless you are a real history fan, you probably won't get a lot out of the featurettes.

Enemy at the Gates clocks in at around 2 hours and 10 minutes, but you won't be looking at your watch. Every minute is packed with character development, excitement, action and a nice dose of romance. The film is crisp and beautiful and you only need to watch the trailer to see the difference the transfer to high def made. Surround sound is intense, especially during battle scenes and moments where snipers are taking out targets. If you have a high def home theater setup with surround sound, this is the version of this film to get. Highly recommended.