5. Vassili Zaitsev (Enemy At The Gates)
Picture the scene, Russia's WWII capital Stalingrad, 1942, and the Red Army is desperately trying to hold back the German advance. One man, lying in a town square monument hiding from them, is about to fire the first shot that will propel him to fame. Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law), became a war hero for the Soviet Union during the bloody conflict, rising from the ranks to become one of the Red Army's elite snipers, giving hope to the millions of civilians that live in terror and poverty in the city. Zaitsev's penchant for only shooting German officers soon gets him in trouble with the German high command, and a cat and mouse chase ensues. What makes Zaitsev stand out is not only his shooting ability, but his humble background that allows us to believe that we could easily do what he does, and before you know it, you are prancing round the room with an empty toilet roll looking through it pretending your a sniper. No? Just me then.