106 ENEMY AT THE GATES
army newspaper, labeling him a national hero. To complicate matters, Zaitsev and
Danilov both become infatuated with Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz), a private in
the Sta lin grad militia who is moved from the frontlines to a small intelligence unit.
As German forces deal with gunfire from unceasing Soviet snipers, German Major
Erwin König (Ed Harris) is sent to Sta lin grad to murder Zaitsev as a propaganda
coup. The major, an expert sniper, entices Zaitsev into a trap and then eliminates
a pair of Zaitsev’s comrades. Zaitsev escapes. When the Red Army high command
discovers König’s mission, they send a former student, Koulikov (Ron Perlman), to
assist him with the murder. However, König kills his former student instead. Sacha
(Gabriel Marshall- Thomson), a young Soviet boy, passes König false information
about Zaitsev’s whereabouts, which allows Zaitsev a chance to ambush the major.
Zaitsev aims to trick König and injures him, but a thieving German soldier steals
his sniper log. After seeing the log, the German command believes Zaitsev to be
dead, but König suspects that his enemy still lives. König’s dog tags are stripped
from him to prevent Rus sian propaganda from profiting if he is shot. Tania and
Zaitsev fall in love and consummate their romance. When König sees Tania and
Zaitsev at an ambush area, he becomes certain that Sasha is working for both
sides. As a result, he kills Sasha and hangs his body in public to agitate Zaitsev.
Zaitsev asks Tania and Danilov to usher Sasha’s mother (Eva Mattes) away from
the city, but Tania is left wounded. As Zaitsev waits to surprise König, Danilov
reveals himself in order to instigate a shooting match with König. Mistaking
Danilov for Zaitsev, König inspects the body and realized his error too late—he is
in Zaitsev’s sights. He turns to face Zaitsev and doffs his hat in tribute to his oppo-
nent’s skill just before Zaitsev shoots him. Two months later, after the German
forces have surrendered, Zaitsev finds Tania recovering in a field hospital.Reception
Paramount planned to release Enemy at the Gates on 22 December 2000 as a pos-
si ble awards contender, but the film was pushed back twice (to 23 February and
then to 16 March). Against the wishes of Mandalay, German distributor Constan-
tin arranged to have Enemy at the Gates premier at the Berlin Film Festival on 7
February 2001, where it was roundly booed by the audience. It subsequently had
poor box office returns in Germany and was savaged by German film critics, who
regarded it as a Hollywood- style glorification of war. During its 12- week North
American run (16 March–21 June 2001; widest release: 1,724 theaters), the movie
earned $51.4 million at the box office while receipts from foreign markets totaled
$45.5 million. Worldwide, Enemy at the Gates earned almost $97 million, but against
an $86 million production bud get, it was deemed a flop. Reviews were mixed. Peter
Travers observed that “Annaud’s film boasts harrowing battle scenes as Rus sian
relief troops are bombarded while crossing the River Volga and Sta lin grad itself is
battered by air and sea while tanks and soldiers overrun its streets. In the shell of
the city, Vassili and König face off in a duel of wits that is meant to mirror the
larger battle. Any flaws in execution pale against those moments when the film
brings history to vital life” (Travers, 2001). Giving Enemy at the Gates three out of
four stars, Roger Ebert decried the romance subplot as “soppy,” but noted that when