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Sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s, I remember watching a movie about a WWII sharpshooter in a tower that single-handedly managed to stop or delay a whole battalion of enemy soldiers. I cannot really be sure that the soldier was specifically a sniper. He could have been a regular soldier.

The whole movie was a dramatization of his feat. I do not remember if the movie was old when I watched it. It might even have been in black-and-white, but I cannot be sure.

I seem to recall that the soldier was a German, but I am very likely wrong about that, given that Nazis are not allowed to be heroes in cinema. He could have been a Russian. Or he could have been an American, though I remember being surprised by his nationality when it was mentioned at the end of the film.

I cannot say for sure that the whole movie was set in a tower. Rather, the only thing that I really remember is that the movie ended in a tower with the soldier delaying the advance of the opposing army/group of soldiers by shooting them from the tower.

What is this movie?

I've ruled out:

  • Stolz der Nation (Nation's Pride) in Inglourious Basterds (2009). I am pretty sure I saw the movie I am asking about quite a while ago, long before Inglourious Basterds came out.
  • Enemy at the Gates (2001). I have seen this movie, and this is not it. The movie I am describing takes place a significant amount of time in a tower.
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    movies.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5062/… Commented Jan 2, 2025 at 5:14
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    reminds me of Stolz der Nation (Pride of the Nation) a fictional Nazi propaganda film that appears in Inglourious Basterds (2009). This "film-within-the film" was directed by Eli Roth; The film's star is Fredrick Zoller, a German war hero played by Daniel Brühl Commented Jan 2, 2025 at 6:03
  • You can watch Stolz der Nation (Pride of the Nation) here: - youtu.be/p2VUGfrZyck?si=gLbykhTGz1EWH5fi Commented Jan 2, 2025 at 6:04
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    Also reminds me of Sniper Private Jackson in "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) who spends a fair bit of time in the church tower. - youtu.be/WfNZ1t7yh3E?si=W5szSacBoBCp5GhK Commented Jan 2, 2025 at 6:06
  • @blobbymcblobby When I saw Inglourious Bastards, I noticed how similar the fictional movie therein is to the old movie I am asking about. But I am pretty sure I saw the movie I am asking about quite a while ago, long before Inglourious Bastards came out. It might even have been in black and white. I wonder, was Inglourious Bastards satirizing an old movie with their movie within a movie? Commented Jan 8, 2025 at 2:23

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Sounds like Enemy at the Gates (2001) set in Stalingrad

The film's main character is a fictionalized version of Vasily Zaitsev, a sniper and Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II. It includes a snipers' duel between Zaitsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König.

While Vassili is not technically in a tower for the entire film, he does spend a significant amount of time sniping from elevated positions, including a bell tower, and he does effectively hold off and inflict heavy casualties on the advancing German forces.

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  • Definitely NOT this movie. I have seen this very recent movie and this is not it. The movie I am describing takes place a significant amount of time in a tower, and I watched it quite a while before 2011. But thank you for your suggestion. Commented Jan 2, 2025 at 4:48
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    "Very recent"? Its 24 years old @Itcomdata. You may have misread 2011 instead of 2001. Commented Apr 26, 2025 at 23:16
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Could it be Saving Private Ryan?

There is not a single sniper but a couple of soldiers, one of whom is a sniper while another is more or less a loader / gunner / spotter.

There is a large group of German soldiers with Flak, SPG and tanks attacking a town center which they are defending.

There are more American soldiers defending the same town and this large group of German soliders are slowed down a bit then beaten back by the main American force who arrive at the end of the movie.

The sniper and the gunner are both killed by German tank shell aimed at them.

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