Can a Socialist be a Hero?

Enemy at the Gates, a new film by Jean Jacques-Annaud, is getting reviews of all colors. The film is based (very loosely) on a true story about a sniper in Stalingrad during World War II. Some critics are put off that what is basically an archetypical showdown would be cast in the middle of such a vast and complicated political conflict, a rivalry picture boasting to be historically significant. Others rave about its style, suspense, and performances. Critics in the religious media are likewise split.

Enemy tells the story of Vassili (Jude Law), a Russian shepherd who becomes a famous sniper and inspires the troops to resist Nazis during the 1942 battle of Stalingrad. A political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) trumpets Vassili's success stories, taking advantage of the gunner's skill to advance his own military career. But Vassili's fame spurs retaliation—a sinister German sniper named Konig (Ed Harris) comes looking for him, and a battle of cleverness and precise shooting is under way. When an attractive and militant woman (Rachel Wiesz) comes between Vassili and his agent, a formulaic love triangle develops.

Some of the critics in the religious media were disturbed to see a hero who was a socialist, although socialist soldiers valiantly resisted the Nazi forces in Stalingrad. Ted Baehr of Movieguide is offended that the film "extols Communism as the lesser of two evils." He claims the movie will "confuse people about the true nature of Stalinist Communism and Marxism itself." The film does show people serving Hitler and people serving Stalin, and it represents their differences sufficiently. But Bob Smithouser at Focus on the Family argues that one of the film's prominent socialists "ultimately recognizes the futility of socialism, acknowledging that there will always be envy and disparity regardless of government's attempt to vanquish them." Indeed, this crucial character does break down near the end, losing faith in his flawed beliefs. Michael Elliott at Movie Parables notes this scene as well. "These are words from a disheartened individual which ring true only because he was looking to a flawed, man-made doctrine for the answers." I too find that the film criticizes both schools of thought. Vassili is not inspiring us to rally around Stalin. Rather, he is trapped fighting for a cruel man against a cruel man. His triumph is to face and overcome his fears, to shoulder the weight of responsibility that leadership demands and give his fellow soldiers hope.

Regardless of the film's themes, the U.S. Catholic Conference calls Annaud's direction "flat," and says that "the narrow focus on the two mortal enemies reduces the war to a mere backdrop while the subplot's romantic triangle seems contrived." In spite of praising the film's craftsmanship on almost every level, Bob Smithouser concludes, "there's so much killing that viewers may feel the need for a truce. Those excesses ambush Enemy." But Phil Boatwright at The Dove Foundation reserves some of his highest praise for the film, calling it "the first great film of 2001." He writes, "I was uplifted by Enemy's fullness and its profundity. The writing, while never trivializing the characters with false sentimentality, is earnest, revealing and at times almost poetic. It entertained me with its action adventure and touched me with its characters' struggle to connect with the promise of what life is supposed to offer."

Personally, I find Enemy to be an admirable, character-driven suspense thriller that gives us some interesting and unconventional views of World War II. It borrows rather heavily from Saving Private Ryan in its opening sequence. And composer James Horner could be sued for plagiarism in that the film's main motif is almost a note-for-note copy of John Williams's theme for Schindler's List. But these weaknesses are overcome by uniformly strong performances and suspense scenes that surpass anything in the Mission: Impossible films.

Vassili is an unusual and engaging war hero. He's not a cookie-cutter, flag-waving American crying "Freedom". Law plays him as an uneducated, frightened, insecure human being who earns our respect by enduring difficult pressures, demonstrating patience and discipline, and doing what he can to provide an example of valor for his disillusioned countrymen. He isn't driven by personal revenge. He isn't some silhouetted icon of myth and legend. He does his job because he wants to be a responsible soldier. And his opponent, Konig, is not just a cold, calculating cartoon, but a human with flaws and personal grief, striving to conceal his wounds. Watch how Harris portrays Konig in the inevitable final confrontation. It's not your typical showdown. It is a memorable moment between two human beings who know each other as well as they do their fellow soldiers, even though they have never met.

Judging from the mainstream reviews, the less said about Exit Wounds the better. Unfortunately, most audiences don't take the time to heed reviews, and this action movie has resurrected Steven Seagal as a box-office champion.

The U.S. Catholic Conference concurs with most critics, saying "the lack of coherent plot is mind-numbing as is the savage display of brute force, gunplay, and explosions." Michael Elliot of Movie Parables praises the "impressive stunts and special effects which are generously spread throughout the film." Beyond that, he says, "the semblance of any brain wave activity appears to have come to a screeching halt." Baehr at Movieguide seems somewhat impressed, however. He calls it a "surprisingly good police thriller" while he objects to its violence, language, and nudity. Baehr writes that "Seagal seldom has given so assured a performance … He shows the kind of magnetism that made him an action star in the early 1990s." Mainstream critics tried to outdo each other in their creative putdowns of the movie. Cody Clark at Mr. Showbiz writes, "In fairness, the movie is more or less competent for being what it is. Of course, I could say the same of most brick walls—but I'd hardly recommend that you pay eight bucks to sit in front of one for two hours."

Note: Last week, I promised to review critical responses to The Dish and Memento, currently in limited release. Unfortunately, not enough critics have written about these pictures yet. Next week, there should be plenty of reviews on both films.

Next week: Provided enough critics catch up with them, we'll look at critical responses to The Dish, Memento, Heartbreakers, and more.

Jeffrey Overstreet is on the board of Promontory Artists Association, a non-profit organization based in Seattle, which provides community, resources, and encouragement for Christian artists. He edits an artists' magazine (The Crossing), publishes frequent film and music reviews on his Web site (Looking Closer), and is at work on a series of novels. His work has also appeared in Christianity and the Arts magazine.

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