World War II historian John McManus, who's considered a good authority on war facts, has shared his take on how realistic Steven Spielberg's WWII epic Saving Private Ryan really is. McManus is a professor of military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and of his 15 written works, most are about WWII. His specialty is D-Day and the landing on Omaha Beach, where allied troops arrived in order to strike against the German invasion of France, and one huge part of the Spielberg film.

In a thorough analysis for Insider, McManus takes a deep dive into the iconic movie and explains in great detail what is realistic about Saving Private Ryan, and what tends towards 'Hollywoodization' of the facts. His rundown is mainly focused on the pivotal scene of the movie, often categorized as one of the most important opening sequences in cinema:

"The realism is incredible on some levels.