Rating: 
Summary: Very good War Film
Review: I was very impressed by ths film. I thought it would probably turn out to be rather cliched but it did seem to have a newer perspective on WW2. Some people say the characters are stereotypical - well, I served in the British Army Reserves for four years and my platoon had a fierce Scot, joking Londoner, smiling Irishman and philosphical Welshman in it, plus me as the token University Boy so I think you'll find that real-life Army units can be like that. No African Americans? Since the US Army was segregated until the sixties that is hardly surprising. Caricatured Germans? Germans running away? Well, some of them DID run away you know - they weren't all ruthlessly obedient supermen, and some were no doubt far more fed up with the war that the allies were. It would have been nice to see some British soldiers about but they were some way East taking out Caen at the time, so again, not a surprise. I wasn't sure about the film's comment on Montgomery ("overrated") and the British divisions though; Monty was a very good general indeed, at least as good as Patton or Eisenhower, and if he was so overcautious then why did the British lose so many men and tanks taking Caen? I think you'll find that about 80% plus of all the German armour in Normandy was at Caen, directed against the British - not the sort of battle that can be won in an afternoon I'm sure you'll agree.Excellent film though - the most realistic combat scenes you will ever see on celluloid by far, and the plot is at least believable. By the way, thanks very much to the US armed forces for doing a fantastic job as our allies in WW2, and other times. Long may Britain and the US continue to stand up for freedom.
Rating: 
Summary: Yippee at last a politically correct war film
Review: Wahay, what a great film. True to life, no political bias and a generaly well rounded view of WW2. Unfortunatley I grew up in England and my history lessons brainwashed us into believing that the English were involved and the Americans joined as an after thought. This film has put me straight, thank you Mr Speilberg, you are a true prophet of your age
Rating: 
Summary: One of the finest DVD I have ever seen
Review: This DVD is an example of a perfect transfer of both video and sound. I use it as a benchmark to other movies in terms of technical stuff. It also shows what other war movies did not : the whole cruelty of the war, some scenes are so realistic in depicting battles - that I don't recomment weak-tempered ones to watch this movie - too much blood and dead bodies all around. One thing that annoyed me is that this movie shows only americans and few germans soldiers - it makes you think that war was between germany and USA only. But that's not true, the film should have shown other parties like soviets who had lost more than 40 mil people on that war but there is nothing about them in that movie (although it's an american movie and me as a former soviet can understand this). Germans were poor shown : they were most of the time like background noise that is to be terminated - I think the film shouldn't be so flat in that aspect. Once again this is an american movie, so if you want to see the war from different eyes I recommend DAS BOOT, STALINGRAD or any soviet war movie (don't think you can find them here in USA)
Rating:
Summary: Saving Private Ryan
Review: This movie was wonderful and insightful because it gave a valid view of war. It was not interrupted by an unimportant love story which most war movie are. It was real and thrilling.
Rating:
Summary: War on the screen; as close as possible to the real thing.
Review: The first twenty-five minutes of this film are the hardest to watch of any film I've seen. It is stark, horrible, bloody and frightening. The realism is amazing. I can't imagine anyone ever approaching realism this closly again without being compared to Spielberg. The rest of the movie has its horrors, but it's also a story of faith, redemption, sacrifice, and the American attitude toward war. This is probably the most interesting thing about it. Americans by and large dislike war. When we are forced into it the attitude is "let's win this as quickly as possible." No other film I have seen is this powerful and frightening. No other single movie event I can think of could cause so many vets to start talking about their experiences. Many thanks to Mr. Spielberg for giving my father and his contemporaries a reason to talk about this war. They were silent too long. Since there is no way a film can honestly reflect history this is quite an accomplishment. This is "history" as we need to know it.
Rating:
Summary: Observations...
Review: A few observations I've made after reading the reviews posted here... 1. The sheer volume of reviews posted here undoubtedly indicates it is among the most talked about films ever made...which makes it an influential and therefore important film...whether you liked it or not. 2. I do not recall seeing any WW II vets writing reviews here...which is consistent with their silence about the war in everyday life. My father was a prime example. He never discussed any details of his combat experience in Europe even with his wife or children. Not in 50+ years... 3. Nitpicking aside, almost all reviewers agree the portrayal of war in the film is as close to realistic as it has ever gotten. With regards to the third observation, I believe Steven Spielberg has succeeded in accomplishing what he set out to do...mainly, show the horrors of war as they really are and remind people of the sacrifices made to secure our freedoms. To any and all Veterans...you have my thanks and gratitude. I for one am grateful to receive the reminder and thank god for people like my father who helped save the world I have the good fortune to live in today.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest war film of all time!
Review: This is not an easy film to watch. Clearly, that was not its intent. The story begins in current time at the Normandy American Cemetary in France. An elderly man, followed by his family, walks as if compelled toward a single grave. When he arrives there, his memory takes a different journey back to the beaches below on the date, 6 June 1944. From this moment on, especially for the ensuing 25 minutes, we are thrust into a story that, if it is hard to view, must certainly have been harder to live. As the troop transports approach Omaha Beach, the eerie sense of calm gives way to a landscape that when all is said and done is one of the most powerful statements ever put on film. When all is said and done, two brothers surnamed Ryan have died on the beaches of Normandy. Another has died within a week in the Pacific. It is discovered that a sole surviving brother has parachuted somewhere in France. It is the assignment of a survivor of Normandy and his platoon to find this brother and return him home. Director Steven Spielberg is a master at bringing emotion to the surface and he does it once again with a film which is gut-wrenching. However, the movie isn't all blood and gore; it's the story of young men and boys who fought and died to preserve a way of life and to eliminate the evil that they saw. Tom Hanks heads the cast as Capt. John Miller, the man who is given the mission to find Pvt. Ryan and bring him home. In one sense, it works against the film to know that Matt Damon plays Pvt. James Ryan, but not so much that you can't appreciate the nuances which Miller and his platoon come up against time and time again during their mission. I agree with those who say that Spielberg puts us, his audience, into the film and sweeps us up and carries us along from the opening moments until the film's end. It is a masterful piece of filmmaking that makes us feel that we have survived, although we were never in danger. Saving Private Ryan is a masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Ahoror Film without the Teenage girls.
Review: This movie had all the makings of a horror film. The evil villain, the torturous arduous ways young people die, and the absolute stupidity of the leading characters. The opening war scene of the film (the best scene of the film I might add) had Tom Hanks running into the field of battle with officer stripes on his helmet. Didn't anyone tell the director that only soon to be dead officers wore their officer helmets with big white stripes into battle. Why don't you paint a bull's eye on your chest. This movie was filled with the most contrived scenes I've ever seen on film. Only if they had done one smart thing, they would have lived to tell the tale. I would have to rate this as one on the most obviously manipulated disappointing films of all time. Case in point, at the beginning of the film you see a picture of all four Ryan boys in uniform. Later Private Ryan tells the story of the last time the four of them were together. He wasn't even in the Army at that point. How did he take a picture with his brother while all were in uniform. Also, in one torturous death scene. Probably the most imbecilic of many (but you can take your pick there are so many) a man died in a way that is almost physically impossible to be stabbed. Yet we had to watch this horror scene in practically slow motion. I love war films, especially good ones, but this was neither. It was a horror film in sheep's clothing. If Spielberg wanted to make a film on the horrors of war, he could have done it very easily without the contrived, implausible death scenes. Yes people die horribly in war, but this movie was a dishonest depiction of that horror. I give this film three stars. Five for the first twenty minutes, probably the closest as a moviegoer I've ever felt towards having been in battle. And one star for the last two hours. All in all, it averages a three.
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD presentation of all time!
Review: The DTS version of Saving Private Ryan will blow away any DVD currently out on the market. From the very classy menus to the amazing sound quality, this is easily the best disc to come out since the DVD format was invented. Two scenes in particular stand out. The opening invasion of Normandy completely envelopes you in explosions and richocheting bullets in pristine DTS clarity. The impact is much more immediate in the home theater setting. The last scene of the movie with the rumbling tanks will push your subwoofer to its limits. This scene alone rocked my apartment building, causing my neighbors to complain. It was that good! This film will be the highlight of any DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Way It Really Was
Review: Again, Stephen Speilberg has brought a real-life living hell to the big screen, in a way no one else could. From the concentration camps to Omaha beach, Stephen Speilberg has made people from all walks of life, feel, really feel what it must have been like, to have lived through such horrific times. Saving Private Ryan is the best,you are right there with them war film I have or will ever see. There will never be another war movie made, worthy of watching. I have seen it in the theater, and I have purchased the DVD. The quality of the picture on DVD is truely amazing. I recommend this movie to all who want to know and see, what their fathers lived through and fought and died for. My father never talked much about it. Now I know why.
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