Enemy at the Gates

A good cast, a good idea for a story, and good action sequences don't necessarily make for a great movie.  Case in point: Enemy at the Gates.  Based on the career of legendary Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev during the Battle of Stalingrad, what would otherwise be an excellent war movie dealing with two little-seen aspects of the war (the Russian Front as seen by the Russians, and the lives of snipers) is marred by a number of glaring historical accuracies and a love triangle.  On the one hand, it was nice to see some recognition for the heroic women of the Soviet Union (which may have been the only country during the Second World War to allow women to serve in combat roles [albeit only in a few roles, such as snipers or fighter pilots, and, unofficially, as tankers]).  On the other hand, having two snipers fall in love (and even have sex) during the middle of a desperate battle slowed the film down greatly (and was also very historically inaccurate).  Oh, and Zaitsev's opponent in this movie?  A legendary German sniper who may have not even EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE!  The Soviets distributing only one rifle for every two men (the idea being that the unarmed man would grab the rifle of the other man when he died) was completely ludicrous - the Russians may not have had enough rifles for everyone, but every man would at least have some sort of firearm by the time he was thrown into combat (if a soldier was not issued a Mosin-Nagant rifle, he would probably be given a submachine gun [most likely the widely-produced and widely-distributed PPSh-41]).  Also, the Russians would not have distributed weapons to men just before combat - in fact, Zaitsev and his comrades were already armed by the time they boarded the trains to the front (according to Zaitsev's memoirs, he was not issued a rifle initially - he carried only a PPSh-41).  And I don't think the Russians would have shot their own men if they retreated during battle (although I have heard of this happening at some points - just not during the Battle of Stalingrad, where every able man was needed to fight the Germans).  There are also absolutely NO Russian tanks or planes to be seen anywhere - in fact, the Russians had many vehicles (including the excellent and widely-produced T-34, in addition to captured German tanks and Lend-Lease vehicles from the U.S. and Britain, such as the Sherman), as well as large numbers of planes (including a number of excellent domestic types, and craft received from the U.S. and Britain).  You know what, I'm gonna stop listing the historical inaccuracies - there are just too many to count.  Point is, if you like war films (and have actually read this entire overly-long paragraph), then you should give this a try.  If you could care less about this genre, skip it.

Rating: 67/100

None But the Brave

An interesting picture, None But the Brave is the only film ever directed by legendary actor/singer Frank Sinatra.  A Japanese-American co-production, the film is intriguing in that it examines both the Americans and the Japanese fighting in World War II, with each group speaking their own language.  There were no subtitles for the Japanese dialogue, so it was hard to understand what they were saying, but it seems like they were saying the same things as the Americans were.

The film begins with narration from a Japanese lieutenant, who, along with his platoon, are the only people left on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (the island was bypassed by the island-hopping Allied forces).  Things change after a Skytrain transport is shot down over the sea, and crash-lands on the island.  The pilot, his radio operator, about a dozen marines, and a Navy medic/corpsman (Sinatra) are the only survivors.  After some initial fighting (which results in the destruction of the boat the Japanese were building), the two sides agree to a truce so that all may survive.  In spite of continuing friction, friendships form, and the two groups work together.  Eventually, the Americans get their radio working, and are able to send for a rescue - at which point everything falls apart.

None But the Brave is far from a masterpiece, but it is actually a pretty good movie.  My only major complaint was casting Tommy Sands as the Marine commanding officer - it was painful to listen to him speak, and he made the character seem like a loud, buffoonish asshole.  Frank Sinatra, on the other hand, was brilliant, and added some good humor to the mix.  All in all, a very watchable picture.

Rating: 78/100