Enemy at the Gates

Director: Jean-Jaques Annaud
Year: 2001
Genre: Drama, History, War









Enemy at the gates is set in 1940's Russia and follows a russian soldier called Vasilli Zaitsev (Jude Law) as he becomes a symbol of hope for the russian war effort.

In one of the early scene's we are introduced to commisar Danilov (Joseph Feinnes) as he is fleeing from a german tank. He takes cover and hides in an old town square where he meets Zaitsev. This scene is a turning point for the whole film. Not only do the two main characters meet, but it is where the main character proves himself to the audience.
In order to escape the two must take out a german patrol. As he takes the officers out one by one a foot soldier see's him and starts to take out a grenade. This adds suspense because Zaitsev is firing whenever a bomb drops to disguise the shot. Therefore he is taking them out without the others noticing. If the foot soldier opened fire then he would be out numbered and killed. The suspense is made by the fact that we do not know if zaitsev will reload fast enough to kill the soldier before its too late.
Also at the point at which the shot is fired thefilming is in slow motion. This adds effect and maximises the effect on the audience when the bullets hit their targets. This is furthur enhanced by the fact that the sound of the gunshot is extra audible and shocks the audience.