10 More Insanely Accurate War Movie Details

A dramatised biopic of Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev, 2001's Enemy at the Gates takes numerous historical liberties with the marksman's true story.

Chief amongst these embellishments is the central storyline; a deadly game of cat-and-mouse between Jude Law's Zaytsev and Wehrmacht sniper Erwin Konig, who many historians argue was likely an invention of Soviet propaganda.

However, Enemy at the Gates still features several exemplary pieces of accurate detail, thoroughly immersing the viewer in Stalingrad's hellish conditions. Konig's irritated eye after being blinded through his scope is a notable highlight, but the film's finest example comes in the opening sequence.

The scene sees Vasily meet Joseph Fiennes' Commissar Danilov, the two lone survivors in a sea of Russian corpses. Commissars were political officers rather than soldiers and Danilov highlights his own complete lack of combat experience by attempting to fire at a group of Germans with an empty rifle. His ineptitude is further underlined by his failure to adjust the rear sight, which is set to aim at targets much further away.

Even more pleasingly, Zaytsev instantly displays his elite sniper credentials after Danilov hands him the weapon - immediately correcting the sights and clearing the chamber.