The autumn of 1942, Stalingrad is the last city separating Hitler from total victory in Europe. The city of Stalin must fall for the war to be won. A young Russian named Vassili Zaïtsev (Jude Law) is thrown into the hell of the battlefield. An exceptional marksman, he is quickly spotted by Ivan Danilov (Jo Fiennes). The young political officer becomes his friend and makes him the hero of his fiery propaganda. Vasili's mission is to revive Soviet heroism in the face of the Reich's merciless war machine. The two comrades meet Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz), a student who returned to her hometown to fight the Nazi invader. Vassili recovers a taste for life but becomes the symbol of the indomitable Russian resistance and the man to be killed. Hitler's staff sends Major Konig (Ed Harris), the Wehrmacht's best sniper, to eliminate him. "A great American production (...), but above all the work of a European filmmaker, who has given himself the means to film this battle, the turning point of the 2nd World War, with rigour, humanity and passion" (Le Parisien).