Films about World War II always remain relevant and in demand among viewers of all ages. The reason for this is the fact that to this day people continue to be interested in their history, and also want to learn more about the events of those terrible days. Films about the war can be made both about ordinary soldiers and about civilians. But there is a certain category of films in which we are talking about people who played one of the most significant roles during the battles. We are, of course, talking about snipers. In this list we will present to your attention the best military films, series about snipers of the Second World War, which every viewer must see. This is our story that we must value. So, a list of movies about snipers:
- "Enemy at the gate."
- "Save Private Ryan."
- "The Battle of Sevastopol."
- "Stalingrad".
- "Cuckoo".
- "Sniper: Last Shot."
- "Sniper: The weapon of retaliation."
- "At an unnamed height."
Now it’s worth talking about each of this movie masterpieces individually.
Feature films about snipers
To begin with, we suggest you pay attention to a couple of foreign films. They turned out to be of the highest quality and have already managed to gain the status of modern classics.
Enemy at the Gates
Our list of the best films about snipers opens with the cult American military action movie "Enemy at the Gates", released in 2001. It is noteworthy in that it is based on real events that occurred during the Battle of Stalingrad. She has long managed to become legendary and enter the textbooks of many countries of the world.
The film is about the shooter Major Koenig and his mother rival - the elusive sniper Vasily Zaitsev. In those years, they were considered the best of the best and were able to hit the target from almost any distance, while successfully hiding from possible pursuit. It was these people who played an important role in several battles at once. So it is not surprising that in the end, in Hollywood, it was decided to make a whole film about them.
The leading role of the Russian shooter was brilliantly played by the famous British film actor Jude Law, who is well known to our viewers on such projects as Sherlock Holmes, Young Papa and Gattika. He brilliantly got used to his image and conveyed the entire palette of emotions experienced by the hero of the film. His screen rival was no less outstanding artist Ed Harris. As a result, we got a brilliant movie that keeps you in suspense from the first to the last minute.
"Save Private Ryan"
On the one hand, “Saving Private Ryan” - the movie is not entirely about snipers, but about the war as a whole. However, a significant role in the film was played by well-aimed arrows, which here and there appear along the course of the narrative. This classic tape was shot by none other than Steven Spielberg himself, who had already managed to surprise us with Schindler's List a few years before. This time, in his film about World War II, the focus was not on the victims of the Holocaust, but on the fighting of American soldiers behind enemy lines.
The plot focuses on a group of soldiers who need to save Private Ryan at all costs. To do this, they will have to go through a real hell. The main roles in the film were played by such celebrities as Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and many others. So if for some reason you still have not seen this masterpiece, then be sure to check out.
World War II Documentary Films
A sniper is a man without whom no military operation is complete. Therefore, documentary filmmakers could not get around this topic. A few entertaining things were filmed, which we also recommend for viewing:
- "White Devils. Snipers of the Second World War."
- "The legendary sniper."
- "German snipers."
List of the best Russian films about snipers
Well, now it’s time to move on to domestic films, in which snipers played an important role. In our country, films dedicated to the Second World War are shot more often than in any other. And our filmmakers do it surprisingly high quality. Here are some great films made in this genre.
"Battle for Sevastopol"
Over the past few years, there has been an unpleasant tendency in our country to scold almost every Russian film. Some argue that we simply do not have talented directors, while others complain about poor funding. However, despite all this, from time to time quite unusual and high-quality tapes appear on our screens. And one of the main masterpieces, without any doubt, is the film "Battle for Sevastopol", created by the joint efforts of Russian and Ukrainian filmmakers. The list of films about snipers, clearly, would not be complete without this movie masterpiece.
First of all, the film is notable for the fact that its plot is based on real events that occurred during the Great Patriotic War. The film will focus on Lyudmila Pavlichenko - one of the most legendary women snipers in history. Despite the prejudices of those around that the woman had no place on the battlefield, Lyudmila was able to not only achieve outstanding performance in shooting, but also become a real symbol of victory for most soldiers. The enemy army considered Lyudmila one of the main threats. The Germans even conducted a deliberate hunt, in the hope of quickly getting even with the heroine. You are waiting for a quality biographical movie, which will allow you to better know such a legendary personality.
"Stalingrad"
Also, speaking of films about snipers of the Second World War, one can not help but recall this popular military film, shot by Fedor Bondarchuk. It's no secret that this director is the son of no less eminent filmmaker who worked in the same genre. So for Fedor it was important not to tarnish his great name and make a decent movie about World War II. The choice of director expectedly fell on the Battle of Stalingrad, which became one of the most bloody in those years. That's just the emphasis he made on several individual individuals who had a difficult share of standing up for the defense of an important strategic object. Along the way, viewers also get the opportunity to observe the development of a love line, which turned out to be no less interesting.
Also, we can not say about the technical side of the picture. Thanks to the huge, by Russian standards, plot, Bondarchuk made a spectacular movie in 3D format, which was highly appreciated not only at home, but also across the ocean.
"Cuckoo"
We will complete our list of the best Russian films about snipers with the successful movie “Cuckoo,” which was released in 2002 in all respects. At that time, Russian cinema was just getting out of the pit into which it had buried itself after the collapse of the USSR. "Cuckoo" is one of those rare films, thanks to which viewers again believe that in our country they still know how to make films. It is also one of the most notable films about the Second World War. So we recommend connoisseurs of quality cinema to pay attention to this work by Alexander Rogozhkin.
TV series about snipers
Also, from time to time, directors remove all kinds of series on this topic. Unfortunately, not all of them as a result turn out to be really high-quality. However, we still managed to identify several worthy representatives of the genre.
Sniper: Last Shot
The series tells the story of the fate of Russian Nikolai Volokhov and Frenchman Andre Rainier. These people were at the very epicenter of military events. The Wehrmacht army was actively advancing literally from all fronts, not giving the Red Army a chance at a possible retaliatory strike. In 1941, no one had any doubts that it would be practically impossible to defeat the Germans. However, there were still people who continued to fight, no matter what.
Sniper: Weapon of Retribution
Events unfold in 1942 near Stalingrad. In the center of the plot is a group of Senior Lieutenant Yashin. It includes the best fighters, including a sniper girl. Together they went through many battles and are ready to go to the last, for the victory of their homeland. But soon they are faced with an insidious rival, which will be incredibly difficult to defeat. You are waiting for a tense confrontation not for life, but for death.
"At an unnamed height"
The plot of the series tells of an incredible confrontation near the territory of the former USSR for one of the skyscrapers, the conquest of which could become key in the whole battle. The plot focuses on a young man who was once a shooting champion. And who would have thought that soon he would have to enter into an unequal battle with one of the most famous German snipers ...
Reviews
As a rule, everyone likes films about World War II snipers. This is due to the fact that there is no fiction in them. The emphasis is on maximum realism, thanks to which it is possible to convey all the experiences of a person forced to kill every day. Viewers also note the fact that the vast majority of films about World War II snipers are based on biographical facts of the past and tell about really existing people who made a significant contribution to history.
As for the technical component, the majority here also have no complaints. Films about such significant events are entrusted to be shot exclusively by professionals in their field, who will never face dirt.
Total
Of course, this is not all representatives of this genre. There are many other interesting works about snipers of the Second World War. However, these are, without a doubt, the best of their kind.