I'll admit, I enjoyed this
movie. It was one of the first
war movies I had seen that focused primarily on
snipers, which I thought was quite an
interesting take on things. Great visuals, and an
intriguing plot.
However, the movie was not perfect. It seemed to be especially lacking in character development. We know that the main character has been shooting things since he was a little kid, and that he came from a poor family. We know that the main antagonist is apparently famous in Germany for his sharp shooting. We know a few other details about the other characters; for instance, the protagonist's friend is more suited to desk jobs and can tend to be a backstabber, and we learn some of the main love interest's history.
But there are some major questions left unanswered, that left me not knowing how to feel about some of the characters. Especially lacking are the two main character's viewpoints on the politics they represent. Is the protagonist really a Communist? Does he truly believe in his cause, or is he merely trying to defeat the Nazis? By the same token, is the antagonist a Nazi. Remember, there is a difference between being merely a German soldier and being a hardcore Nazi. Many German soldiers were only fighting because they had no choice. For me at least, the fact that he was wearing a German uniform was not enough to make me hate him; whereas if I knew he was a true believer in the Nazi cause, that would be plenty of reason for me to hate him.
All in all, I walked away thinking it was a good flick. These few problems I've pointed out did not keep me from enjoying the movie, although I do think they should have been taken care of. Omissions like these are what (IMHO) make the difference between a good movie and a great film.