Most experienced German sniper is transfered to Stalingrad to hunt down and kill Vasily Zaytsev, the best Russian sniper.
During the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 young Russian sniper, Vasily Zaytsev, gains a reputation for his great accuracy. Local communist party commisar wants to make use of Zaytsev’s talent and fame, hoping to made him an icon that would boost morale of fighting men. With each patrol Zaytsev gains new experience and increases his record of kills. The Germans soon realize that they have to stop Zaytsev, not only because he is so effective, but to kill his legend and show communist propaganda that he is only human. Their most experienced sniper, Major König, is transfered from teaching the snipers in academy in Germany to active service in Stalingrad to hunt down and kill Zaytsev. But as any experienced hunter would do König begins with observation of the terrain and Zaytsev himself. During one of patrols through the ruined Stalingrad König kills Russian sniper Koulikov with almost impossible shot - from that point Zaytsev realizes that it will take all his skills and cunning to survive in that duel.
Great movie showing one of the elements of battle of Stalingrad - the battles between the snipers that had a perfect conditions for their patrols - the city in ruins filled with soldiers that can’t hide forever. As many other American war movies this is also "based on true story", but as usual this doesn’t mean that those actual events took place. Vasily Zaytsev is historical character, he was the most famous Russian sniper during the World War 2, but his duel with German officer never actually took place. Although he did fought such game of cat-and-mouse (which lasted three days) with German sniper, but that German wasn’t officer and it wasn’t duel, just part of the war for both of them. But overall movie is very realistic, plot is gripping, good cast and high quality battle scenes.
Our rating
8.8
Film value
9 / 10
Realism factor
4 / 5
Adventure factor
5 / 5
Historical accuracy
4 / 5
Jean-Jacques Annaud
director
Jean-Jacques Annaud
screenplay
Alain Godard
screenplay
Jude Law
as Vasily Zaytsev
Ed Harris
as Major Erwin König
Joseph Fiennes
as Commisar Danilov
Rachel Weisz
as Tania Chernova
Ron Perlman
as Koulikov
Bob Hoskins
as Nikita Khrushchev
Matthias Habich
as General Friedrich Paulus
Gabriel Thomson
as Sacha Filipov