One of the most significant events of World War II, the 1942-1943 Battle of Stalingrad became a turning point in the conflict. With 2001’s Enemy at the Gates, we get a cinematic view of these events.

As the Germans attempt to take over Stalingrad from the Soviets, the fighting breaks down to such a local level that the sides combat over individual city blocks. Russian soldier Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) proves an effective sniper and his ability to take down enemies severely damages Nazi morale.

To counteract Vassili’s threat, the Germans bring in their own sharpshooter: Major Erwin König (Ed Harris). The competition between the two men acts as the overall battle in a microcosm, as the two try to negate each other.

Unmentioned in that synopsis: the film’s top-billed actor. A look at the flick’s poster art touts Joseph Fiennes first – well, sort of, as ala the way The Towering Inferno tried to “equally bill” Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, Fiennes’ name comes first but Law’s shows up higher on the ad.

Fiennes plays Commissar Danilov, an officer who urges Red Army commander Nikita Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins) to use Vassili as a propaganda to give the citizens hope. The two become pals and Danilov documents Vassili’s exploits.

Could Gates work just as well without the Danilov character? No – it would fare better without Vassili’s documentarian, though that doesn’t become the only unnecessary plot point here.

Indeed, a lot of Gates doesn’t feel like the movie needs its. We get superfluous threads like romantic inclinations toward militia member Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz) and other detours that don’t go much of anywhere.

The specter of 1998’s Saving Private Ryan hangs heavy over Gates, as the 2001 film clearly takes inspiration from its predecessor. A number of scenes and characters echo those in Ryan, and filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud even musters the cajones to open Gates with a battle that seems awfully reminiscent of the legendary Omaha Beach assault sequence that launches Ryan.

No, I won’t call Gates a clone of Ryan, as the pair come with enough differences to avoid that status. Still, the shadow of Ryan becomes clear and it seems impossible to view it as anything other than an attempt to recreate some of the 1998 flick’s magic.

Which it doesn’t, partly due to the scattered focus I mentioned. Gates just dallies with too many plot points and it doesn’t serve most of them well.

When Gates concentrates on the cat and mouse between Vassili and Major König, it works well. Scenes in which we see the ways the two compete and go after each other feel taut and dynamic.

Unfortunately, these appear too infrequently to make Gates a high-caliber war movie. Too much of the flick dilly-dallies with unnecessary tangents for it to satisfy on a consistent basis.

Enemy at the Gates appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though more than watchable, the image didn’t quite excel.

One issue stemmed from a little too much processing of the scan. This meant some light edge haloes and a reduction in fine detail at times.

Overall sharpness seemed pretty good, however. While these choices meant a decrease in definition to some degree, the movie usually came with fairly positive delineation.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred. Grain came across as appropriate and only a few minor specks popped up along the way.

Given the movie’s locations and subject matter, its subdued palette made sense, with an emphasis on a fairly brownish-gray vibe. Still, brighter colors satisfied when they appeared and the hues seemed appropriate for the narrative.

Blacks appeared dark and firm, while low-light shots felt clear. Too much tinkering knocked my grade down to a “B-“ but I still thought the movie offered reasonably appealing visuals.

While not exactly Saving Private Ryan caliber, the movie’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack satisfied. Of course, scenes of military violence gave the mix the most kick.

Again, these didn’t overwhelm in the impressive way heard from some war films. Nonetheless, the fights managed to open up the soundfield in a fairly involving manner.

Music showed good stereo imaging and environmental effects used the channels well. Some might find the soundscape a disappointment given expectations based on what we heard from other films but I thought it seemed perfectly satisfactory for this one.

Audio quality worked fine, with effects as the most important aspect. Action scenes boasted nice range and impact, as these elements seemed accurate and bold.

Music seemed full and clear, while dialogue felt concise and distinctive. Though not a dazzling soundtrack, the mix seemed satisfying.

As we shift to extras, we find two featurettes. Through the Crosshairs goes for 19 minutes, 36 seconds and involves director Jean-Jacques Annaud, executive producer Alisa Tager, producer John D. Schofield, supervising art director Neil Lamont, special effects supervisor Kit West, stunt coordinator Jim Dowdall and actors Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes, and Bob Hoskins.

The reel looks at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, effects and attempts at realism. A handful of useful insights emerge but most of "Crosshairs" just exists to sell the movie so don't expect much substance from it.

Inside Enemy at the Gates lasts 15 minutes, one second. It brings info from Annaud, Law, Weisz, Fiennes, and Harris.

This one digs into the project's historical elements and path to the screen, research, actor training, cast and performances, favorite scenes and a few specifics. "Inside" doesn't prove a lot more informative than "Crosshairs" but it does bring some decent bits.

Along with the movie’s trailer, we conclude with nine Deleted Scenes that occupy a total of 10 minutes, 13 seconds. These give us small character bits and minor exposition, so the already-too-long film didn’t need them.

At its core, Enemy at the Gates brings a compelling tale of competing snipers. Unfortunately, the film spends too little time on that narrative thread and too much time on unnecessary tangents. The Blu-ray brings erratic but more than acceptable visuals as well as good audio and a smattering of supplements. I wanted to like Gates but the inconsistencies made it a disappointment.