Absorbing, horrendous descent into the nightmare of combat. Focusing on the invading German army (into the Soviet Union) in the second world war, the impact no less awful. These men are enlisted men, who had no more control over their government's criminal actions, than US troops had over their government during the Vietnam War. Or any government sending their military in any war, for that matter. To assume they could belies a certain lack of acquaintance or experience, with the structure of a military organization.

These men are trapped like rats, and survival at any cost, to preserve ones life is paramount. Politics and lofty notions fly out the window, as the veneer of civilized behavior is stripped off.

STALINGRAD is gripping, grotesque, poignant and pitiful in its graphic presentation of war time experience. Highly recommended.

The film is about the battle of Stalingrad. For those of you who don't know anything about it, it was the worst battle in the Second World War. Over 1 million people died in the course of the battle. This is the only film that I've seen that seems to have actually captured how bad things were in the war between Russia and Germany. What I really liked about it is that the two ideologies (Nazism and Communism) were nowhere in the film. Unlike most American films, the Germans are not seen as blood thirsty murderers, but what the average German foot soldier was, a person.

The film revolves around four soldiers fighting in Stalingrad. They were transferred there to try and take the city. The film follows these men from August of 1942 to early 1943. During this time, they learn about the horrors of war and try to find a way out of the battle.

Through the entire film, one feels the desperation of the entire battle. Unlike "Enemy at the Gates" the film makers didn't try to put some sappy love story or dress up factual occurrences of the battle. This film may be fiction, but it conveys what happened in the bloodiest battle in World War II.