Rating: 
Summary: Restoring *Ryan* to the national memory.
Review: *Saving Private Ryan* was so refreshing after two decades of self-righteous anti-war movies. I've picked on Mr. Spielberg in the past, but I must heartily thank him for this picture, which gave to our dying World War II veterans a thoroughly realistic portrayal, perhaps for the first time, of how that war's battles were fought. My own grandfather, a Normandy veteran, passed away last year: watching *Saving Private Ryan* had been one of the highlights of his last declining years. "Somebody finally got it right," he exclaimed while we watched it together on videotape. "Except for the stripes on that Captain's helmet. That's what we used to call a 'bullseye'!" Also, were he still around, he would have agreed with British reviewers on this site who've angrily pointed out that many soldiers in the first "waves" of the Normandy invasion were in fact British. (The Brit reviewers are also on pretty firm ground by bemoaning the irony of the guy from Cheers calling Monty "overrated" in this movie.) In any case, Spielberg did a huge service by re-instilling a profound sense of gratitude to the men of that generation who died heroically so that we might live in peace today. Putting this back into the national conversation may be his greatest achievement. But even so, that doesn't make the movie immune from legitimate criticism in terms of aesthetics. The movie's bare-bones plot, having to do with a Ranger troop's mission to find the last surviving brother of four, and to bring him out of the DMZ safely and back to the billowing cornfields of Iowa, does not sustain the exorbitant length of 2 1/2 hours. If the first 20-minute battle on the Beach is astonishing, the last 30-minute battle at the end can only be much less so. Hardly anything happens in the middle, either: much of the middle stretch could've been trimmed. There's the dodgy question of just how realistic this mission would be, at least in terms of assigning it to a troop of Rangers instead of to the more likely group of Army chaplains and M.D's. Finally, the cinematic aping of actual World War II footage -- jiggling camera, missing frames, the grainy look of the celluloid -- is vaguely distateful. Those cameramen from the military and the world's press corps had not been creating some sort of "cinema verite" style for well-fed billionaires like Spielberg to imitate 50 years later. Oh it works, don't get me wrong, especially during the Normandy invasion scene; however, I can't help but compare the polar-opposite circumstances between the real documentarians on Omaha Beach and the makers of this entertainment. It's a legitimate question to ask if imitating the photographic "look" of real WWII footage can possibly be "respectful" in the first place. I rather doubt it. I don't deny the stunning effectiveness of the technique, but still. For these reasons, I value *Saving Private Ryan* more for its trend-setting appreciation of our greatest heroes than I do for its inherent artistic qualities.
Rating: 
Summary: The war genre at its very best.
Review: When Saving Private Ryan first hit the theaters, a big splash was made over the amount of graphic violence the film contained. As a matter of fact, such hype over the movie's gruesome nature overshadowed most other aspects of the film, and since then, there's been a small critical backlash of sorts against the movie, many claiming it's just another example of Hollywood junk. But after so many years, my appreciation for Saving Private Ryan has only further solidified, and in spite of three terrific war films released the past year (Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers, and Band of Brothers), none of them have been able to surpass SPR on the pure basis of emotional resonance. For that, if nothing else (and you'd best not forget how shatteringly realistic the battle scenes are), this is the greatest war film ever made. The film's opening D-day sequence is easily the most highly praised segment of SPR (or any film released that same year, for that matter), and it's no wonder. The invasion is a twenty-minute display of confusion, bloody death, and the overall terrifying realism of combat. Prior to this, I'd never seen combat presented in such a graphic, "you are there" nature that dwarfs even the stellar work Oliver Stone accomplished twelve years earlier in Platoon. After this gutsy opening sequence, we settle down to the main story. After it's discovered three brothers have been killed, a mission is quickly formed to find and retrieve the last brother, James F. Ryan, so that he can be sent home in one piece. Eight men, led by Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks), are sent for this task, with some of them questioning the logic and ambiguity behind such a mission. The majority of the film is spent developing each of these characters, both in their interaction to each other and how war has changed the men they once were. Director Steven Spielberg did a fantastic job crafting the film as both an anti-war piece and as one that honors the men who fought and died in battle, and it seems this portrayal of heroism has often been reviewers' most listed complaint, as they seem to believe doing so makes the film into an attempt to glorify warfare. But the fact is, these ordinary men were heroes, and prior to SPR, I'd never seen a movie that truly acknowledged their courage in the midst of unbearable chaos. This same theme is also the driving force behind the almost as effective Band of Brothers, so it's no surprise Steven Spielberg was heavily involved in that miniseries. Camraderie on the front lines has been done to death, but its presentation in Saving Private Ryan is worth noting, and these are really the scenes that entice me to another viewing (since watching the battle scenes again would be too disturbing). Every actor here delivers exemplary performances; this is the most terrific ensemble I've ever seen compiled in one film. As the lead, Tom Hanks turns in one of his best performances, a dramatic tour-de-force that works simply because he so convincing plays a normal man driven to the extremes by war. This is probably Hanks most subtle and moving role to date. It certainly helps he has a well-written script (courtesy of Robert Rodat) to back him up. Everyone else also make good impressions, with Tom Sizemore as Hanks' loyal sergeant, Barry Pepper as the religious sharpshooter, Adam Goldberg and Ed Burns as somewhat sarcastic naysayers, Jeremy Davies as the frightened corporal, and Giovanni Ribisi as the thoughtful, introspective medic. It's because of the characterization that I find the film's climactic battle sequence to be even more intense and moving than the opening segment. Just watch and see if just the mere sound of thundering, approaching tanks doesn't get your heart racing in fear. On a technical level, only the pickiest of nitpickers would find flaws. The production is amazing, consisting of war-torn towns and muddy forests. The cinematography and editing is among the best I've ever seen, and John Williams' score is a powerful, sorrowful elegy of quiet, rumbling emotions. Arguably, this is Steven Spielberg's best film, and whether or not he goes on to surpass it remains to be seen. But hey, five years prior to viewing Saving Private Ryan, I remember telling myself, "there's no way he'll ever make another film as powerful as Schindler's List."
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful, subtlely biased moviemaking
Review: There is no question that Spielberg is amongst the most competent and artistically talented of movie-makers in Hollywood today; his power of making magic with the camera (and his budgets) are unparalleled in cinema, and "Private Ryan" is no exception. The opening scene of an old man, a vet, breaking, crumbling to tears in a war graveyard is touching, and the ensuing Omaha landing slams you awake in its full-fledged assault on the senses in a fusillade of bullets and awesomely bloody effects. While I found the hour and a half or so between the beginning and ending battle scenes to be somewhat dull filler, or a stab at some "plot" if you will, concerning the title and the heroism and righteousness of the American cause against Nazi Germany, Spielberg gets back to business, but not before the group releases a German prisoner after much debate, especially from the insistence of a cowardly young soldier. While Spielberg's war opus is most respectable for just that, as a bloody, powerful war movie, displaying the "us against them" mentality so sadly utilized by the US at this time as a positive aspect of the film is predictably Hollywood but all the more upsetting in such a lavish, glistening production. Remember the German that lowly coward helped set loose? Well, towards the end that same coward finds his senses and blasts a surrendering German with a pistol! As the heroic, triumphant-style score rolls out! Yes, Spielberg, that sure is some bravery there, some real patriotic heroism, as part of the glorification of the horrendous fratricide that devestated the "Western world" some 50 years ago. This scene is one of the only real manifestations of the idea of real righteousness, real hatred, on the part of the Americans in their holy war against Hitler ("Onward Christian soldiers!"); while the bulk of the movie can be taken as a gritty WWII film, this execution scene in particular is disturbing and depressing. But then, I suppose it's not bad considering that there will be no big-budget, network-TV-premeire- uncensored-without-commercials presentation of the fire-bombing of civilian targets like Dresden by Americans or of the awesomely disgusting "balancing acts" committed by the gallant Soviets against the evil Nazis. Cultural realities of present-day America aside, "Saving Private Ryan" is a visually stunning presentation, with an excellent cast, and although a bit overlong, is definitely worth seeing for the production values alone.
Rating:
Summary: Very good but not great.
Review: This is a very good movie. It is essentially the story of one group of soldiers, American Rangers, from the assault on Normandie beach through the early fighting thereafter in France. It opens with the best combat scene ever filmed for a movie. This is no exaggeration. The initial combat scene is incredibly realistic, moving, and bloody. It unbelievably authentic. The acting is very good. How can you not like Tom Hanks as the Ranger Captain? He's great. The supporting cast turns in fine performances as well. Some stereotypes, but hey, they are well-acted stereotypes. The movie does have a plot, which is more than can be said for many war movies--this one is to locate and return to the States a young man whose two brothers were recently killed in combat. The story line could be more brisk. It drags in places. The movie is probably about 20 minutes too long in my estimation. Hollywood has been going through a "phase" where it makes movies too long. I think Dances With Wolves started this trend. This movie continues it, although not as severely as "Dances." Technical: the video is great (DVD) and the sound is simply the best of any DVD I own (hundreds). Very high quality. This is a fine movie, worth owning and watching. While it is not the best war movie ever made, it is a very good one.
Rating:
Summary: Best War Film Ever!!!
Review: Being young and full of ambition, I thought Steven Spielberg at the time was the world's best director and was flawless with his directing skills (Of course, I hadn't seen his dumb parody, "1941"). But when I saw "Saving Private Ryan", I was spellbound. It was probably the most realistic and emotional war film I've ever seen since his work with "Schiendler's List". I knew, from that point, that this was gonna be the best war film to date. In the opening shot, a man is visiting a gravesite in Normandy, France, Present Day, with his family behind him. Suddenly, while walking in the middle of the row of tombs, he stumbles onto his knees and starts crying. This causes somewhat confusion to the audience; however, people relize the pain the man is feeling when they see the many graves of young souls, lost in a war that they didn't start. The film then jumps to June 6, 1944 (D-Day) at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France. A small group of American soldiers, very young and scared, ride in the ajacent Higgins Boat across the French channel. 2 of the soldiers even vommits in fear. Then the boat reaches land, by this time you can already hear gunfire and explosions. As soon as the Higgins Boat ramp drops in front, all hell breaks loose. Immediately, 3 or 4 soldiers are massively hit with German bullets, leaving the rest in total chaos. The storming scene, which lasts about 30 minutes or so, is probably the mosy gruesome portray of the horror of war. After the invasion is over, the remainding soldiers rendezvous. One of the invasion's heroes was Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks, in one of his most acheiving roles since "Forrest Gump"), a jaded and calm tempered school teacher, merely witness his soldiers dying. Meanwhile, after the storming of the beach, government officials get word that 3-out-of-4 brothers from Iowa have been killed in 3 separate battles. The remainding brother, Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), is a paratrooper missing somewhere in Normandy. The plan is to get James out of there and get him back home to his grief-stricken mother. Thus, Miller and Sgt. Horvath (Tom Sizemore)are recruited to go into the French country-side and locate Ryan before he gets killed. Miller leads a rag-tag platoon along with, which include the hotheaded Private Richard Reiben (Edward Burns), the deadly yet religious sharpshooter Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper), the stereotypical Jewish Private Stan Mellish (Adam Goldberg), the jaded medic Private Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), the oversized Italian-American Private Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel) and probably the most memorable character, the under trained, yet sweet Cororal Timothy Upham (Jeremy Davis) as the company's translator. However, what started as a harmless search-and-rescue mission, turns into a tedious odyssey which anywhere from German snipers to German 88 cannon squads, starts picking off the men, one-by-one, to a point where the soldiers are ready to throw down their guns and ask "why???". That of course is answered in Hanks' brilliant speech halfway in the film. SPR is definately historical in it's own way. I was astounded and shocked at the D-Day beach storming sequence of the film. I tired to picture myself in that kind of situation; forced to fight, scared to death, not a chance of survival insight. Probably the most heart-wrenching sequence in when a soldier is lying on the beach with his intestants spilling out, screaming "Mommy! MOMMY!" Spielberg showed us the true horror of war and why we should avoid it at all costs (Except, I don't really aprove of his "Pro-War" statements he's been saying in the press about our situation with Iraq). This film should be shown in classrooms for historical studies. It's sheer brilliance
Rating:
Summary: Movie dedicated to World War II Veterens.
Review: This Dreamworks DVD of Saving Private Ryan not only shows a good clear film print of the Oscar winning film but also has a very informative documentry film on how the movie was made and extensive interviews with Steven Spielberg, Historian Stephen Ambrose, and cast members on why D-Day was such a major turning point in World War II. Should be located in everyone's history DVD collection alongside Ken Burn's THE CIVIL WAR.
Rating:
Summary: Steven the genius does it again.
Review: Visceral was the word most often used to describe this
film, but for me the word that works better is "human".
Spielberg sets out to show us the limits of the human
spirit during war, and the amazing endurance of those
that lived through some of mankind's most impossible
days ever known. As we've come to expect. Spielberg,
Hanks, and company simply aren't capable of letting us
down when the stakes are so high. It's not a genius
film, but it's powerful and very very good.
Rating:
Summary: My Review of SPR
Review: How can I start this review ? This movie is simply put....amazing. It is probably the best period piece on World War two I have ever seen. I tend to be skeptical when it comes to war movies historical drama ETC.... but this movie is exceptional. I can only say that I wish I had seen this one in the theatres A+ Material Tom Hanks is amazing and the rest of the cast provide a believable as well as outstanding performance. I would reccomend this to anyone with an interest in period pieces.
Rating:
Summary: The best war movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: ... I'm very glad that finaly somebody make a movie about what is it to be in war.That somebody shows how much must those guys suffer for freedom and peace.How many young boys died alone on the beach or anywhere else.This is what it was.And the technical quality of this DvD only enhance this feeling.Picture quality is superb and i love the colours thadt remind's you of old colour documentaries about WWII.And the dts suround sound just blow you out of your sofa.So if you want to know what is war about,buy this movie.Because it is the only one war movie that you need.It's one of a kind.
Rating:
Summary: Authentic And Unforgettable Depiction of D-Day!
Review: This is a superb movie, one with a horrifying depiction of the terrifying action on the beaches and in the fields of Normandy during those first few fateful days in June of 1944. It was then that by force of arms the Allies attempted to wrest back nothing less than the whole of the European continent. Stephen Spielberg hooks you into the story by using a contemporary scene of the massive burial grounds where thousands of Allied casualties are buried to introduce a main character, who then remembers, in a flashback so vividly monumental in its scope that it will certainly leave you breathless and gasping for air. Everything about this movie has classic written all over it, from Tom Hanks moving portrayal of a man who must lead his platoon deep into the battlefield in search of a single soldier in order to rescue him and bring him back to the shore for evacuation; all of his three brothers have been killed in action on D-Day, and General George Marshall has ordered that he be saved in order to prevent the family from losing all of its sons to the war. The cinematography is exceptional, and the scenes depicting the landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day are so graphic and done so masterfully that one reels in attempting to describe them. They must be experienced to be fully appreciated, and then hopefully on large screen TV system with an excellent sound system. The supporting cast is terrific, from Tom Sizemore to Edward burns to Jeremy Davies to Vin Diesel to Harrison Young, who plays the fifty-something Ryan breaking down at the grave site in the opening scene of the movie. Of course, Matt Damon turns in a wonderful performance as the young Ranger who finds himself conflicted by the set of existential circumstances him finds himself in, all of his brothers killed, and ordered to now desert is own squad under fire to save himself. But excellent performances are nothing unusual for this very gifted young actor. The entire cast supports the emotional telling of this tale. This is the second of Spielberg's movies about World War Two, the first being "Schindler's List". This shows a growing sense of seriousness and a new gravity to his work, which is both popular and now more substantive. I was most impressed with the incredible care taken by the production company to faithfully recreate all of the elements of the story authentically and in context, from the green and brown packs of "Luckies" to the pandemic cussing and cursing that real-life soldiers used to communicate. While his does soft-soap the meaning of SNAFU, he otherwise gives the closets thing to the actual experience one might hope to vicariously witness to approximate the situation on the ground on D-Day. Enjoy!
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