53
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Film.comGemma FilesFilm.comGemma FilesThough 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.
- 88New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardThe 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.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirThis is spectacle cinema made with individual flair; maybe someone in Hollywood will notice that it's still possible.
- 75Baltimore SunMichael SragowBaltimore SunMichael SragowKeeps its eye on the big picture even when focusing on the small scene.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickEnemy at the Gates, is no "Saving Private Ryan" - but thrilling, bravura stretches make it consistently entertaining, if less than profound, filmmaking.
- 60Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonAs 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.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAt 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.
- 50Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezEnemy at the Gates will pique your interest in the Battle of Stalingrad, but it leaves that interest sadly unsated.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranHas 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.
- 20SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinHe (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.