Enemy At The Gates (2001)

"My army is not designed for this kind of fighting. Yesterday, yet again, I had to promote twenty-five sergeants to replace the officers shot down by the sharpshooters. Those snipers are demoralizing my people." - General Paulus, Battle of Stalingrad, 1942.

Jean-Jacques Annaud's ENEMY AT THE GATES is an underrated WWII film that perfectly captures the ice-cold brutality of war without sentimentalizing the combat one iota. Unfortunately, Annaud saves his sentiment for a romantic sub-plot that quickly intertangles itself with the main narrative to the overall detriment of the film. That said, there is much about the movie that is rewarding and worth a second viewing.

The central conceit is that the Battle of Stalingrad is going poorly for the Russians. The Nazi army has superior numbers, supplies, and equipment and they have swiftly decimated the city, conquering three-quarters of it with ease. The embattled Red Army is loathe to lose the city since it is the capital and its loss would be a huge propaganda boon for the Nazis. In this setting comes Vassili Zeitsev, a young former shepherd whose quick wits and excellent aim quickly draws the attention of Commisar Danilov, a political officer whose life he saves. At the behest of Nikita Khrushchev (a brilliant Bob Hoskins in a small but vital role), they wage a dual campaign to boost the morale of the army with Zeitsev collecting notches in his belt with every Nazi officer he takes out and Danilov writing about it in the army newspaper. The comradery these two men share is quickly scuttled when both fall for the same woman, Tania Chernova, an educated resistance fighter. This trio, played by Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, and Rachel Weisz respectively, dominate the first half of the film, which balances their romantic triangle with the triangulation of their duties quite nicely until the unspoken romantic tension boils over into unnecessary and distracting melodrama. Each, in turn, gives a good performance, though none of them even attempt to hide their British accents. Weisz, in particular, does her best to elevate the bloated soap story that is her character's only reason for existence. That the film toys with killing her and perhaps redeeming the sub-plot had me excited for a realistic 180 from conventional Hollywood drama. Alas, it was not to be. I agree with Roger Ebert that ENEMY AT THE GATES would be a much stronger film, even a minor masterpiece, had this sub-plot between Tania and the two men been dropped entirely.

Fortunately, Annaud doesn't hold back from displaying the chaotic cruelties of war. His set pieces are among the best I have seen in a war film. Stalingrad, as filmed by Annaud, has been utterly obliterated with dessicated husks of buildings and factories sticking out of a growing wave of bodies, blood, debris, filth, mud, and excrement. The brutality of the Nazi killing-machine with its tanks and potato smashers is matched only by the Red Army's desperation. The scene where the Commisar's hand out rifles to half their troops and five bullets to the other half is chilling. There aren't enough guns to go around so keep your head down and when the man next to you dies, take his rifle and put your bullets in. That scene, followed by these unarmed men charging into combat, gave me the chills. It feels like an impossible war with nothing to win and almost nothing to fight for. The Red Army is compelled by their own men at gunpoint yet the Nazi Army cannot move forward because they are plagued by snipers and small pockets of local resistance. Into this scene steps the Nazi's answer to Zeitsev, Major Erwin König, the Nazi's master marksman. The ensuing cat-and-mouse between these two men in the second half of the film is some of the most intense and suspenseful stuff I've ever witnessed. Annaud makes use of some extravagant set-pieces (an abandoned department store and a chemical factory) to stage two claustrophobic scenes wherein these two men confront one another in an obsessional game of patience, trying to outmaneuver one another, to capitalize on the slightest mistakes, and to use anything available to their advantage, which Zeitsev does memorably with a piece of glass and König does horrifically with the corpse of a young boy, Tania's brother Sascha.

Ed Harris delivers one of his finest performances as Major Erwin König, the Nazi sharpshooter sent to Stalingrad to contain Zaitsev's threat and present the German Army with the moral victory of his death. The plot also hints at König's ulterior motives. He had a son who fell in Stalingrad, perhaps the victim of a Zaitsev bullet. This is left deliberately unclear. In fact, much about König is left unclear. He doesn't appear to be particularly motivated by valor or medals or cultural pride. His is a personal pride. He wishes to remain the best and Zaitsev's growing fame threatens his supremacy. Though the film makes clear that König is the superior marksman, the issue isn't about technical superiority or even the superiority of propaganda. König dismisses the Nazi hype machine surrounding Zaitsev's purported death with a casual wave of the hand: "He isn't dead, and do you know why? Because I haven't killed him yet." That is all that matters to König and he risks everything to do it, remaining behind after having been ordered to evacuate, roaming Stalingrad with no support, no identification, no real commitment to the Nazi cause. Just a burning desire to the kill the man who has thwarted and nearly bested him.


The game they play is dramatic and suspenseful, though it is Harris who grounds the reality in the stark cynicism of his performance. Here is a man with an intense and precise moral code. Someone who appears to abhor killing outside of his own prescribed boundaries as a sniper. When forced to confront Sacha's duplicity, he takes no joy in his duty, particularly since he had given the boy an easy out. That he strings up Sacha's corpse as bait is despicable, more so because it went against König's own paternal instincts towards the boy. Those who question Harris' ability as an actor need only to watch his final scene in the film to see that he is an understated master. His facial expressions of awareness, resentment, understanding, and resignation -- all in the space of a few seconds -- are outstanding. In the test of will between these two opponents, one gains a measure of respect for both men. In the endgame of their human chess, one is almost saddened to realize that König is destined to lie in an unmarked grave. That Harris could so sway you in empathy for a Nazi sniper who'd only minutes earlier strung-up a young boy is a testament to his powers as an actor.

ENEMY AT THE GATES is a fine yet flawed film hinged entirely on Jean-Jacques Annaud's intense direction, excellent cinematography, magnificent set design, and overall vision of horrific combat. The film is tautedly edited for the first two-thirds, building suspense and tension before the rather unfortunate romantic sub-plot takes over, sucking the life out of the film at a most critical juncture. Despite this, and the unnecessarily tacked-on upbeat ending, ENEMY AT THE GATES offers bountiful rewards for WWII film buffs and fans of suspenseful thrillers in general.

ENEMY AT THE GATES (Annaud, France, 2001)

Capsule Review: The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Rather shockingly violent for the time - a number of people are shot to death, and one is even thrown off the top of a train - The Great Train Robbery features plenty of cinematic invention in its 10 minute running time. The first pan shots, location shooting, and some innovative editing techniques combine to make this familiar bank robbery tale a rousing good time, and hugely influential in regards to both westerns (many cliches that exist in modern Western films originated here) and cinema in general. The final shot (sometimes shown at the beginning) of a bandit aiming his gun directly at the screen might be superfluous, but startled audiences when the film first opened.

Capsule Review: A Trip to the Moon (1902)

Georges Melies' landmark film (one of over 500 he made during his lifetime) is filled with inspired moments and memorable images which have the ability to register strongly through modern eyes. Of course everyone is aware of the iconic image of the rocket to the moon lodged in the eye of the Man On The Moon, but the 14 minute film features plenty of inventive special effects and surreal moments that remain enthralling - featuring a combination of live action, animation and painted backdrops which add a whimsical nature to the proceedings. More than just the first Science Fiction film, A Trip To The Moon is absolutely essential watching for those interested in film history.

Documentary Round-Up: End Of The Century: The Story of The Ramones (2003), The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007), Monster Camp (2007)

End Of The Century: The Story of The Ramones (2003) - After reading Everett True's British-centric (but very good) biography of The Ramones Hey Ho Let's Go, I decided to try out this revered labour of love documentary from filmmakers Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia. While (necessarily) missing much of the detail of the book, the film was positioned at a rather unfortunate time in the history of the band - Joey Ramone having passed away in 2001, Dee Dee Ramone passing away during the production of the film, and Johnny Ramone passing away soon afterwards - which colors the viewing of it considerably. For fans of the band much of the information is well known, yet still fascinating to view as the mix of archival footage and newer interviews tells the story of the bands slow rise to fame and destruction due to internal struggles. The personalities of the central four: Johnny the dictator, Joey the hearthrob, Dee Dee the wildman and Tommy the technician come through loud and clear, but the documentary does much to humanize these men beyond their Ramones uniforms. A brief moment with Johnny talking about Joey's death - unable to understand why he felt so depressed by the death of someone he had basically stopped talking to more than a decade earlier- might be the film's most revealing moment. An exciting, but sometimes saddening look at America's very best punk band.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) - As someone with an understanding of obsession with various menial and unimportant things, there was much to relate to in this portrayal of competition amongst that geekiest of video game subcultures: the retro gamer. While playing fast and loose with facts for dramatic reasons, filmmaker Seth Gordon still wrings every ounce of tension as the rivalry between showboat hot-sauce salesman Billy Mitchell and sad-sack Science Teacher Steve Wiebe in gaining the world's highest score in Donkey Kong comes to a head. While Wiebe's tale of redemption and confirmation is the film's emotional centre, it really works because Mitchell makes such a convincing real-life villain. A slimy egotist who ducks Wiebe at every turn while preaching platitudes like a particularly sleazy motivational speaker, it's hard to believe that such a person could even exist. That his confidence comes from his mastery of what appears to be such a frivalous and unimportant skill-set gives the whole thing a minor surreal edge. As an audience member you're certainly being manipulated, but it's rare to get such David vs Goliath showdowns in a documentary.

Monster Camp (2007) - A fun but slight documentary dealing with the incredibly nerdy subculture of Live Action Role Playing (LARPing). While providing little insight into the mechanics of gameplay - the whole thing remained a bit of a mystery to me throughout - there's still lots to love about witnessing a development of comradery amongst the most ignored of social misfits. While we're introduced to a number of the players, and follow their development as they play, we unfortunately only get glimpses at what brings them back to this rather unique fantasy world again and again. There are endless scenes of people in funny costumes throwing bags of seeds at one another or hitting each other with pool noodles, but I never felt a sense of the joy and creativity which fuels the passion that these men and women have for their pursuit. Enjoyable, and sympathetic to its characters, but could have used a bit more whimsy.

Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo & Blue Demon vs. Doctor Frankenstein) (1973)

I've never been to Mexico, but I like to think of it as populated by an array of colorfully masked wrestlers tirelessly protecting the country against various monsters and aliens, between taking on opponents in the squared circle. This impression has been greatly influenced by the dozens of lucha-libre films produced in the area throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, many of which starred the most popular mexican wrestler of all: El Santo. Santo first began wrestling in the 1930s, but it was when he began wearing his trademark silver mask that his career really took off and by the 1950s (when he was already well into his 40s) he began his foray into cinema with Santo contra el cerebro del mal (Santo Vs. The Evil Brain, 1958). The following two decades saw him starring in over 40 films, often battling zombies, mad scientists or other demonic creatures. By 1973 the genre had definitely become a little formulaic, but Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo and Blue Demon Against Dr. Frankenstein, 1973) is a fine starting place for those interested in the genre and what it has to offer. Certainly cheap looking, but featuring a surprisingly spry Santo considering he was in his late 50s, the film has lots of cheesy fun for genre fans.

To understand El Santo, you have to picture a combination of Batman and James Bond. He's super smooth, a snappy dresser, and gets all the women when he's not acrobatically dispatching a variety of opponents and saving the world from supernatural threats. As well, he - along with his luchadore partners such as Blue Demon in this film - never remove their masks. They wear them out to dinner, when relaxing by the pool, or even when just driving around. This status as a real life superhero made Santo an icon in his home country where lucha-libre (which is a particularly acrobatic form of pro wrestling) is a cultural institution. Santo's son, logically named El Hijo del Santo, continues to wrestle wearing his father's trademark mask and cape, having taken over the mantle after his father's death in 1982.

This film begins with a string of attacks and kidnappings of young women, who often reappear in a zombie-like state, attacking their loved ones. While the police are baffled, it's revealed to the audience that this is the work of Dr. Irving Frankenstein, who - since it's family tradition - is trying to crack that pesky mortality problem. After watching a wrestling match featuring Santo, Frankenstein decides that what his creatures need is the intelligence and dexterity of the masked wrestler so he sends his henchmen - including the towering creature Golem - to kidnap the beautiful bacteriologist Alicia in order to lure the wrestler to his hide-out. El Santo, not always the brightest bulb, gets tricked but before his brain can be removed he's saved by Blue Demon who cleverly disguises himself ("As you can see, i'm not the Anesthesiologist") before taking out the bad guys. They find Alicia and escape as the authorities storm the compound. But that's not all! Frankenstein decides that the only way to get revenge is to have Golem (wearing a black mask and with his skin pigment changed) attack Santo in the wrestling ring, with Frankenstein himself (also wearing a generic mask) acting as coach. Things don't go according to plan, and soon Santo and Blue Demon are fighting with Frankenstein and his monster in the rafters of the arena. Tragically, the two baddies fall to their death, though nobody seems too upset about the victorious luchadores murdering folks in cold blood. FIN!

The joy of a lucha-libre film doesn't come from the direction or the production value - both of which are rather flat - it comes from the bizarre logic and subject matter, and this film certainly provides that in spades. The characters in the film simply accept the idea of two masked wrestlers dining, or walking down the street like it's the most normal thing in the world. When the police are having difficulty, of course they reach out to El Santo and Blue Demon to help. And what better way for a mad scientist who has almost achieved eternal life to find vengeance than a ridiculous wrestling scheme? Why not just shoot El Santo in the head? Blow him to kingdom come? Or create an army of zombies to take him out? Because then we wouldn't get extended lucha-libre wrestling scenes, which are actually quite impressive considering the age of the protagonists. Santo tends to bring out the head-scissors and other acrobatic wrestling moves in his regular fight scenes as well, which is half the fun. Just like in lucha-libre, or really pro-wrestling as a whole, the world of these movies is a slightly heightened reality and giving in to the rather ridiculous elements provides most of the fun.

Jorge Russek as Irving Frankenstein actually does a really solid job, even managing to bring a bit of pathos to the role - his Phibes-like motivation for his actions comes from wanting to bring his late wife back to life - and ranting appropriately when he isn't barking orders at his minions. Santo has a charisma that is rather hard to pin down, and it's difficult to take your eyes off of him when he's onscreen. It's hard to judge his acting, particularly considering that most of his facial expressions are covered. Blue Demon doesn't fare quite as well, looking uncomfortable in most acting scenes and showing little of the grace that he was able to provide in the ring. Of course, constantly playing second banana to Santo is sort of a thankless role.

Of course, none of this is meant to imply that the film is actually any good. While entertaining in its goofiness, the entire genre was starting to get a little shoddy at this point, and this is obviously a very low-budget production with flimsy sets and excessive padding. Dr. Frankenstein provides some name value, but he could really be almost any generic mad scientist and Golem makes a rather poor substitute for Frankenstein's monster. It feels a bit like a television production, and many of these luchadore films would fit quite well next to campy productions like the 60s Batman series, though here the characters play things totally straight.

Brought to DVD by Rise Above Entertainment, El Santo y Blue Demon Contra el Doctor Frankenstein is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ration in a rather shoddy print featuring occasional damage and inconsistent color throughout. Despite the low-budget this is a bright and colorful film, and this is still represented in the print despite its inconsistency. The audio is presented in Spanish with optional English subtitles which feature rather a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, though few will be watching this for the dialogue.

It's still surprisingly difficult to find many of the dozens of lucha-libre films n DVD, so it's quite a treat to see this one released with subtitles, and even a few special features. Here we're treated to The Best of Santo, which is really just a video package featuring clips from a variety of his films. A fun diversion, but slight. The included photo gallery leaves a lot to be desired, but the inclusion of trailers: for Santo y Blue Demon contra Dracula y el Hombro Lobo (Santo & Blue Demon vs. Dracula & the Wolfman) (1973) and the amazingly cheesy looking Santo: Infraterrestre (2001) (starring El Hijo  del Santo) are a nice treat for fans.

Silly fun for all ages, Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein is cheap but rarely boring. While the more cynical among us may have trouble accepting this rather quirky view of reality, for those on the right wavelength these movies provide huge amounts of preposterous entertainment. We're lucky to have access to these films, and I hope future generations can continue to appreciate the odd allure of El Santo.

Bloody Nightmares #21: This Darkness: The Vampire Virus (2003)

This Darkness is a film filled with potential, and in a few moments spread throughout it even manages to reach it, but too often what was almost a fresh spin on the vampire myth gets bogged down with production problems. Director, writer, producer, and lead Dylan O'Leary does an admirable job, but spreads himself much too thin, making the bigger set pieces fall flat until the entire thing gets exceedingly messy in the final twenty minutes.

O'Leary stars as Dr. Van Helsing VII (sigh), a University Professor being funded handsomely for his work with DNA and vaccines, apparently in trying to create a working AIDS cure. Meanwhile, guess what mysterious creatures of the night are beginning to randomly attack surfers and cheerleaders in broad daylight? If you guessed Vampires, than you've obviously read the title of the film. In fact, the title gives a lot of information that the film dances around for a good 45 minutes. Y'see, Van Helsing (his friends call him Van) has really been working on a cure for death as a whole, but a side effect of his research has brought some vampires out of hiding - leading to them slaughtering his family for reasons that i'm still a bit sketchy on. Oh! And Van's friend Ron Little - a Vietnam vet who runs a martial arts studio - is out for revenge on the vampires who killed his daughter. Also, there's a sassy black friend, a Vietnamese FBI agent, various lab assistants, and a young man who aspires to be a drummer. It's a rich tapestry. It all comes to a very Shakespearean head with just about everyone dying, and Van finding out that he had sex with his mom. Eww.

Let's start with the good. This Darkness is actually, considering its pedigree and the films that surround it in this collection, quite well written. The plot is sometimes a little confusing, and there is lots of scientific jargon that gets a bit tiresome, but the material feels fresh and the characters tend to be amusing throughout. Even when it gets a bit corny - as in every scene that features a vampire speaking - there's a sense of humor that keeps things from getting too bogged down. Van Helsing is written as a bit of a loveable goof-ball, and while I derided O'Leary's choice to play the lead himself he actually pulls it off fairly well. He gets most of the difficult dialogue, and seems to be unafraid to make himself look silly or less than heroic (a scene of him "training" at the dojo may exist solely as padding, but is pretty funny nonetheless).

I also admire the ambition of the project. While most of the films in this collection only make use of a handful of locations, This Darkness includes some unique scenery - most notably some really visually interesting caverns in the climax - which gives the whole thing some much-needed production value. There's also a "let's put on a show" attitude that I really respond to in low budget movies, with the filmmakers obviously using everything at their disposal, whether it be the dojo (which leads to some amusing fight scenes), extended scenes of butterfly knife prowess, surfing, or awful rock bands there's a willingness to include anything that might possibly be of interest. Of course, there's also a sprinkling of gore (vampires eat internal organs? Who knew?) and some boobs for those who enjoy such things (i.e. me).

But remember when I mentioned O'Leary stretching himself too thin? This comes out rather heavily on the production side of things, as while it's a fairly tight production compared to, say, Nightmare Asylum (1992), there is the usual iffy sound, dark photography, and often choppy editing that really should have been tightened up a bit. A number of the locations are quite spacious which might explain some of the sound problems, but the lack of continuity between sound as camera angles change is distracting. And for a movie with a credited cinematographer, there's really no excuse for some of the murky photography and grainy, underlit scenes. It doesn't make things unwatchable, but getting someone to watch a no-budget shot on video vampire movie is a difficult proposition in the first place, so minimizing technical problems is really a necessity. As with a number of other films in this collection there are also a few odd digital glitches, but i'll chalk that up to problems with the mastering.

It's getting a bit repetitive to complain about acting quality, but the problem here lies more in inconsistency rather than persistent badness. As I mentioned, O'Leary is shaky but obviously giving it his all, while David Everritt as (sigh) Tarquin the Vampire thankfully camps things up with his delivery. The rest of the cast tend to be either bland or wooden, especially Amanda Cook as the eventual damsel in distress, who spends most of the film talking like an android. Son Nguyen as the skeptical FBI agent does a good job as a typical stick-in-the-mud, and gets some of the film's best lines.

The process of packing four movies onto each disk of the Bloody Nightmares collection plays havoc with the presentation of some of the films, but This Darkness holds up quite well and - when the lighting is good - looks pretty decent for a shot on video production. The sound problems I mentioned pop up quite often, but the post-production soundtrack, which includes quite a few actual songs, sounds decent. Incidental music if forgettable, but gets the job done. 

There are a few fun outtakes during the closing credits which imply that this thing was a blast to make, but as usual you're not going to find any extras here. Not even chapter stops. Lame.

A step up from some of the recent films in this collection, This Darkness: The Vampire Virus is a strong effort that is hampered by production issues and some jerky plotting, but still has some fresh ideas and an entertaining script. The acting won't win any awards, but there's obviously some love for the genre on display and it certainly makes me interested to see more of O'Leary's work. Lots of potential, but doesn't quite make it. 

Capsule Review: The Evil Dead (1982)

While the effect has been somewhat dulled by incresingly humorous sequels, it's important to remember that the original Evil Dead plays almost entirely as a straight horror film. While there are moments of comedy – both intentional and not – the tale of a group of friends camping in an avandoned cabin who accidentally unleash kandarian demons was and is a rollercoaster of gory horror, with inventiveness to spare. Still, while a cut above its competition, what makes the Evil Dead a modern classic is the wild low-budget camera work of its director Sam Raimi, and the charisma of its lead – future cult hero Bruce Campbell. Some memorable shocks, particularly a nasty scene involving a pencil and an ankle, a great soundtrack, and plenty of goopy dismemberment all work in the film's favor.