Saving Private Ryan (1998) User Reviews (3,009)

The only movie my grandfather couldn't finish

[keving4241 · 10/10 · 11 October 2018]

My grandfather fought in WW2 somehow surviving D-Day. He was apart of Operation Neptune and stormed the beaches of Normandy. He told us a lot of war stories but rarely ever spoke about that day. Before he passed away he did an interview with a local newspaper and detailed what he saw despite it being very difficult for him to speak about. He loved watching war movies... not sure exactly why. Some about that soldier life never really leaves them I guess. He absolutely hated Pearl Harbor cause of the horrible way they portray the military to be a bunch of toothbrush wielding babies who don't know what to do in the event of being attacked. He had a friend stationed there who lost his life and thinks that movie is a disgusting display of ignorance. Soldiers don't take girlfriends on private plane rides. And they most definitely know how to swim. Maybe I'll give that movie a good ripping one day.

But Saving Private Ryan was a respectable "I can't watch this" reaction. He said no movie has come that close to capturing what that day was like. He said it was too realistic. Whether or not the story is based on real or fiction, that intro was 100% realistic. I'm not sure if he ever did finish watching it but he appreciated it for capturing that chaos like no other movie has before. I watched the movie a dozen times now and keep it in my collection as a reminder of my grandfather. A scene he was technically in. Which makes me appreciate how strong of a person he really is.

War is hell and this movie not only shows that while being an entertaining experience but also captured what soldiers are left behind with. My grandfather was not afraid of anything. I've seen this man walk into a cellar full of black widows to get firewood and not even shake them off. The only time he ever experienced fear was when he went to bed. His nightmares of his time during the war would haunt him in his sleep. This movie helped me understand why.

Hard to Rate ... been there

[j-a-julian · 10/10 · 31 December 2019]

The first 23 minutes of this film is rated at a 12.

My good friend and I took our sons, 17 at the time, to see this in a theater. I am a senior military officer who experienced combat in 1967 - 68 - 69. We wanted the boys to see the horror of war, the slaughter.

I have had to pack up the personal effects of my comrade to send back to his mother after he was killed in the Viet Nam war. Those of you who have not done this cannot even comprehend.

After the opening combat scenes the film was an 8. Well done.

War is hell and to those of us who have been there ... well I don't know what to say.

Neither of our sons joined the military ... thank God.

"Sergeant, we have crossed some strange boundary here. Our world has taken a turn for the surreal".

[classicsoncall · 10/10 · 27 August 2011]

I read four or five pages of reviews for this film on the IMDb boards, and most of them fall into one of two camps - those who felt it was the best, or at least one of the best war movies ever made - and the Spielberg bashers who decry the very fact that America and it's Allies had even the slightest audacity to win the War. Granted, the concept of good Americans versus evil Nazis is a bit too simplistic when it comes to cinematic treatments. Those viewers who want to read so much of that into the picture are missing one of Spielberg's main goals - 'How do you find decency in the hell of warfare'? That question reverberates around the central plot, the mission to rescue a sole surviving brother who's three siblings have all perished in the same war already. For the eight members of the rescue team, the quandary is presented in terms of moral prerogatives - why potentially sacrifice so many soldiers at the expense of just one, who may already be dead anyway?

Moral dilemmas abound in the story. Ed Burns's Private Reiben challenges Captain Miller's (Tom Hanks) decision to release a German soldier on his own recognizance to turn himself over to an American patrol. Private Caparzo's compassion for the young French girl in the bombed out town is seen by the Captain as a life or death threat to his unit, and must decide for the greater good of his men. Even when Miller's Rangers finally achieve their objective and find Private Ryan (Matt Damon), the situation does not play out in straightforward fashion. Ryan resolutely refuses to be 'rescued', instead seeing that alternative as abandoning his own men. By what right should he be so singularly absolved of his duty to serve and protect his country? My summary line above captures the essence of Miller's response and observation, knowing that his duty and his humanity are in obvious conflict.

This conundrum creates another dynamic in the story, reverting back to the character of Private Reiben. When Ryan was anonymous, it was easy enough to dismiss him as some nameless, faceless soldier who didn't warrant any special kind of treatment. Up close and personal however, Ryan proves his value as a soldier in battle, side by side with Reiben in the German tank ambush at Rammel. These perspectives are not typical in your average war movie, and make the film far more interesting than if it had taken a more documentary like approach, as in the opening half hour of the film with the landing on Omaha Beach.

Perhaps the most complex character, and the one I had the hardest time with was Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies). By virtually all of his responses to battle conditions and enemy encounters, he was an outright coward. His singular moment of bravery was enacted with some measure of revenge against Steamboat Willie, the German soldier who's life was spared earlier in the picture. Willie provided Upham with a reason to overcome his distaste for war, by abrogating an implied trust they shared over a cigarette. Upham had his reason and motivation to kill Willie, while allowing the remaining Germans to escape. For Upham, the war had to become personal for him to take action, and that's no way to survive in conflict.

So for me, "Saving Private Ryan" isn't just a war film, and if you view it through that lens, the film loses much of it's impact, even with the brutality of Omaha Beach and the tank battle at the bridge. To be sure, the picture succeeds at capturing the intense horror of war, but it's power as a film goes deeper when it identifies with it's characters and examines their relationships with each other as soldiers and men. How do you find decency in the hell of warfare? One man at a time.

Actually it's pretty GOOD history

[dedjim · 10 June 2001]

I know it's fashionable to trash successful movies but at least be honest about the trashing... Pvt. Ryan was fiction but it was pretty good HISTORICAL fiction. The details were well thought out and based on reality.

There was nothing stupid about the portrayal of the German army... Rommel DID blunder in his placement of force, The high command DID think Calais was going to be the invasion spot, not Normandy. Hitler didn't wake up until noon on that day and his aides were afraid to wake him. The Rangers did come in right behind the first wave and did take a beach exit by sheer will to get the hell off the beach. The bluffs were the scene of heavy close fighting. The german defenders were mostly Eastern European conscripts from defeated areas. (note that the 2 men that tried to surrender were NOT speaking German). There WAS a young man rescued from interior Normandy after his brothers were all killed. He WAS an airborne trooper (the difference was that he was found by a chaplain and was removed from the front.)

The battles inside Normandy were small actions town to town, street to street, house to house. Small actions like taking the radar station happened. Small actions like a handful of men defending a river bridge against odds happened. Small squads of men, formed out of the misdrops banded together ad hoc to fight. There were all enlisted groups and all officer groups. A General did die in the glider assault. FUBAR aptly described much of what happened that day.

And there were only Americans in the movie because the Brits and Canadians were many klicks away in a different area... this was Omaha beach. The story was an American one. And Monty DID bog down the advance and everyone knew it. And as for "American Stereotypes"... well those pretty much define America: my college roomie was a wise-ass New York Jew. My best friend was a second generation east coast Sicilian. My college girlfriend was a third generation German. My first wife was French and English. I'm Irish, my boss is Norwegian and I work with a Navaho... you get the point?

So much for it being bad history. It was in fact an excellent way to let a jaded and somewhat ignorant-of-their-past generation *feel* something of what their grandparents (LIVING grandparents) went through. It is perhaps less important that the details be exact as the feel be right. Even now the details are not fully known or knowable about that campaign... it was too big, too complex and too chaotic to be knowable. There is not even an accurate casualty count of D-Day itself.

Now as to the depth of characters. What I saw there was the extraordinary circumstances into which ordinary people were thrown and what happened to them. I saw the things that would mark a generation (I have heard in my elderly male patients sentiments similar to what Cpt. Miller was expressing when he announced his ordinariness) I saw the dehumanization that occurs with war and its mitigation moment to moment, man to man... Cpt. Miller didn't know anything about Ryan and he didn't care... until Ryan revealed his humanity to him with his story of his brothers. Pvt. Reiban was ready to walk out of the situation until he discoverd his captains ordinariness and his humanity. Then he began to look to him almost as a father. Pvt. Mellish rightfully delights in his revenge for all the times he's had to take it because he was Jewish by telling German captives he's "Juden!" Nerdish Cpl. Upham can stand alongside his bigger, stronger, braver Ranger compatriots and describe the poetry and melancholy of Edith Piaf's song... then face his cowardice, turn around and stand up in the face of danger and finally demonstrate the dehumanization of the enterprise he was enmeshed in by executing Steamboat Willie... even though Willie had no more choice about being there than Upham did and in other circumstances would have made a friend.

I could go on and on with this but enough already. OK, perhaps it is not The Best Movie Ever Made but it is still a good movie. And if one will take the blinders of fashionable negativism off they will see it. Finally, this is not a patriotic story... if anything it is an acknowledgement and thank you to all those old men still out there that did so much for us. To them I say a deep and sincere thank you.

War is hell, and "Saving Private Ryan" peeks into the gates of Hades

[ToldYaSo · 9/10 · 16 August 1999]

I'd heard a couple of startling things about this film before seeing it. I'd heard that many veterans were having a hard time getting through the film without breaking down. I'd also seen interviews with veterans who'd seen the film and found the film to be incredibly realistic and consequently difficult to watch. Intriguing comments, since we all know there is no shortage of films about war from this century.

There are not many films that I've seen that have actually made me physically react to the action on screen. I'm not speaking of the three-dimensional variety either. What I mean to say is this film had me contorting and cringing at the gripping, horrifying action on screen. Somehow the extreme violence can be justified as the whole world knows that this is an important chapter in human history and a startling, graphic depiction only adds more weight to the seriousness of the subject matter. I'd have to say this is probably one of the most important films of the 20th century because of its frank approach to one of the darkest periods of our time on this earth.

I am always deeply moved and fiercely proud when given cause to consider those that gave their lives to protect our way of life and liberate those that already suffered dislocation, imprisonment and attempted genocide. These soldiers were truly noble and deserve our deepest gratitude. This sentiment is a common one, and will go some lengths to explain why this film has meant so much to so many.

Even with the attention to detail and care taken into how it was shot to accentuate to the fullest degree its realistic approach, it is still hard to imagine what it must have been like to be part of a war. But this film goes a long way to help your mind get around it. It's hard for me to say what kind of impact the cinematography would have on someone watching it on the small screen of a television versus the big screen, but from my perspective, this film really does benefit from a theatrical presentation.

What "Saving Private Ryan" does extremely well, is show the world the harsh reality of war without pulling any punches. The story about a squad of soldiers sent to retrieve the surviving brother of three dead soldiers is told with competency and due reverence from all perspectives of the characters involved. It is an uncommon and intriguing drama, but it serves as an excuse to describe a setting, rather than the other way around. The story manages to move us through all sorts of different landscapes and scenarios, giving us an unforgettable glimpse of a world unknown to most of us, and terrifying to those who are familiar with it from personal experience.

Fictional yes but combat authenticity was genuinely real.

[bigmikeh-59467 · 10/10 · 12 September 2019]

21 years ago this movie was released and I finally watched it in 2019. I really struggled to watch and I cried and I wept through most of the movie. I did two tours in Nam. This movie was like being back in country. I will never watch it again. It's just eats my guts out.

Breathtaking

[weiz_one · 10/10 · 17 November 1999]

I have never been affected by a movie the way Saving Private Ryan affected me. That movie really took me out of my seat in the movie theater and practically had me believing I was really in the battle with John Miller. When somebody was dying in that movie, it felt as if you could almost feel their pain. Speilberg did an unbelievable job of putting realism into this movie with the camera-work and everything else. Simply amazing. An all time great.

The Greatest War Movie Ever Made

[lc-2 · 10/10 · 29 July 1998]

It gives a million reason why no one should go to war and one very powerful reason to go to war. It is a soul numbing realistic depiction of what our grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers and sons have faced in humanities darkest moments. Not just in WWII but in any war. No one can see this movies without being altered in some way. No one should miss it with the EXCEPTION of those war veterans that have already been there. The surround sound puts the audience in the middle of the battle.

Steven Spielberg has out done himself and effectively held up a mirror to civilization for events to which we should all be ashamed of, rather than appalled at the movie for its real life depictions. I suggest that this movie be made standard view for congress as well as the President each and every time the question of war comes up. This movie would not stop future wars but I would hope the objectives would be much more clearly defined. I say this as a US Marine.

Everything you've heard is true

[Leofwine_draca · 9/10 · 10 December 2016]

I've long been a fan of war films but for some reason it took me eight years to finally get around to watch this, the often undisputed classic war film of all time. Why? Not sure really – I'm not the world's biggest fan of Steven Spielberg, although I'll admit that he's made some good films in his time. Still, it was with some excitement that I sat down to finally watch this lengthy epic of a film, in the best format possible – widescreen DVD, 52" television, and surround sound system. Unsurprisingly, I was blown away by the production.

At the heart, the film recalls dozens of other war films from THE DIRTY DOZEN to THE LONGEST DAY. A squad of men are sent on a suicidal mission, facing almost certain depth. Where the movie excels, however, is in the extra depth and layers that Spielberg adds. The characterisation is strong, the dialogue harsh and heartfelt. Technically, the film is perfect. The colours are faded and washed out and the hand-held camera-work is ten times better than that seen in the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Sound effects are excellent, the best I've heard, especially the incredibly suspenseful sound of tanks approaching at the film's climax. All these technicalities combine to make the battle scenes some of the most desperately realistic I've seen. The opening twenty minutes on Omaha Beach, which show the infamous D-Day landings, are everything you've heard: exhilarating, utterly depressing, disturbing, exciting, and gruesome. This is certainly the goriest war film out there and it's all portrayed in a matter-of-fact way; blink and you really will miss it. People explode, lose limbs, and bleed copiously from wounds; only strong stomachs need apply.

The acting is uniformly great, as you'd expect from the calibre of cast on view. Tom Hanks has never been better as the shellshocked hero, with unforgettable mannerisms – the shaking hand still haunts me. Tom Sizemore arguably steals the show as the gruff sergeant, and his larger-than-life persona is well suited to a role than the one he plays here. Edward Burns and Adam Goldberg put in solid performances but it's Jeremy Davies who the film focuses on throughout – a rookie, green-faced communications officer thrown straight into the hell of warfare. The viewer understandably sees the film through Davies' eyes and the subsequent journey is everything you would imagine it to be. Additionally, the film boasts great turns from actors in lesser roles – especially Barry Pepper as the sniper and Vin Diesel at his best. Lots of familiar faces pad out other roles, some in cameos: Dennis Farina, Ted Danson, Matt Damon, Giovanni Ribisi, Paul Giamatti, the list goes on.

Despite the near-three hour running time, the film never slows up or stops for a minute. Every second is crucial and beautifully crafted. Things culminate in a set-piece climax, a fierce ambush in a bombed-out French town. Our heroes attempt to destroy a brigade of Nazi troops and their vehicles and heavy guns. It's sprawling, explosive, upsetting and, by the last frame of the film, incredibly moving. So, in retrospect, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is everything everybody says it is. Spielberg's best film by far and one of the best war films of all time.

Numbing experience of SPR redeems baby boomers...

[janesbit1 · 9/10 · 25 January 2000]

It's been over a year since first seeing Saving Private Ryan -- it's a worthy effort by Speilberg--his best since Shindler's List by far. You've probably heard about the amount of violence, blood, and gore and that's all true--it's got the Viet Nam movie style violence (and then some) but it's not gratuitous. Were it sanitized like early WWII movies, modern audiences probably wouldn't take it as seriously.

The movie has that trademark Speilberg style--the structure is all tied up and unified from beginning to end, the emotional symbols abound, the music swelling when he's working at your emotions, the hand held camera that worked so well in Shindler's List to give you a feeling of participation, camera angles and periods of silence to disorient you (like Shindler), suspense techniques learned from Hitch... It's a movie that stays with you for a period afterwards.

Hanks will be the early front runner for Oscar after this flick--Academy members like him AND it IS his best acting job ever. While Speilberg will likely be criticized for attempting to manipulate the audience's emotions while keeping a distance from the inner core of his characters, Tom Hanks reveals a really complex military leader in this story, and does so without overacting--somehow it comes from within. While you may not empathize deeply with many of the platoon, you will still feel something because of the relationship that is formed with Hanks.

After the initial set-up, you will have the opportunity to participate in the D-Day operation and experience the horror of it. Those who have been in a real war can comment about how realistic or not Speilberg captures its chaotic horror in this scene.

In my case I again feel very lucky that my draft number was high, so I never had to face Nam like many of my classmates. Speilberg reminds us brutally in "Saving Private Ryan" that we All have a debt to pay to the brave souls who have sacrificed so much for us. What Tom Hanks does with his performance is to remind us of this debt in a very personal way.

One of the best war films ever made.

[adammfeeley · 10/10 · 12 May 2015]

This film is an absolute masterpiece. It shows that war isn't always glamorous. Steven Spielberg won a Best Directing Oscar for his work on this film and the film went on to win four others. It is gritty and bloody and it shows that wars aren't won by weapons but by soldiers. The cast shine as the group of soldiers tasked with finding Private Ryan. Along the way they encounter the harsh truth and real meaning of war. It boasts impressive battle sequences and the stylish cinematography makes the film truly beautiful. The opening beach sequence is possibly the greatest opening scenes in movies. Tom Hanks is spell binding as the commander who has no idea about the harsh truth of war. Overall a truly amazing film.

Not as great as you've heard

[lee_a_scott · 7/10 · 3 November 2007]

When I first saw this film at the cinema I was, like everyone else in the world, blown away by the opening scenes and then mostly entranced by what followed. Upon re-watching it these years later, the overall effect has been lessened by familiarity and, possibly, by being Speilberged out after watching Munich last week! The battle scenes are still excellent – visceral, terrifying and all too real – conveying the calamitous confusion of war in a way seldom matched in the movies. When the action slows down, so does the film, and this often leaves you feeling a little disinterested as the characters lack of back-story and overly obvious attempts at making them look good (Woo! I've saved a child! Boo! I've been shot!) seem to jar with the realism attained elsewhere. It's still a cracking film though, and the weaker bits have actually stood up better than the strong bits in my opinion (although maybe I'm just more tolerant of schmaltz as I get older).

Extraordinarily Over-Rated

[tgtround · 5/10 · 15 February 2001]

I can't believe that this film currently rates on IMDB higher than both Paths of Glory and Platoon. The latter is one of the best anti-war films ever made - by a man WHO WAS ACTUALLY THERE.

Speilberg's technical mastery may be great but his characters are cardboard and his understanding of men's motivation's is fatally flawed. As Oliver Stone recognises in Platoon, soldiers fight for one another not a great cause. As the Platoon Sergeant says in Hamburger Hill regarding the death of one of the men: 'He died taking out that automatic weapon for you and third squad - and don't you give him anything less.'

A war film you simply can't miss.

[0U · 23 February 2020]

Possibly the most realistic depiction of gruesome war shown in film in Spielberg's yet another addition to his perfect films collection. I got emotional during the last scene in this film as it really makes you feel for the character. The story goes as Tom Hank's character is tasked to find and save the only Ryan brother as all of his other brothers are K.I.A. and Hank's performance as a soldier in World War 2 is possibly the most realistic as it shows the horrors that troops saw during the assaults. Matt Damon as Ryan is also very good as he was relatively young which adds to how young soldiers were sent to hell to fight the Japs. The last scene really hit the heart for me and creates the best emotional resonance. The incredible special effects really show the true gritty reality of war. This film is not like previous classic war movies such as Where Eagles Dare and The Guns of Navarone where they somewhat glorify being in war. Saving Private Ryan is among the greatest of Spielberg. Today, there have been similar gritty movies of war such as Fury and Hacksaw Ridge but for me, this is better than those. Overall, I highly recommend seeing this obviously take into count the lengthy running time but it is well worth it.

I Agree: This Is The Best War Movie Ever Made

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 27 February 2006]

Without looking, I am sure other reviewers here have headlined their article "Best War Movie Ever Made"" and I agree. However, before briefly discussing the film, let me just say if you don't have a decent 5.1 surround sound system, you aren't going to fully appreciate this movie (DVD).

It's a great film to start with, and sitting in a room surrounded by five speakers with bullets flying from all directions around you - as in that spectacular 22- minute opening scene or in the final 45 minutes of action against the Germans in tanks - is an astounding movie experience. The sound in this film elevates it even higher.

The visuals are outstanding, too. I've never seen so many grays, beiges and olive-greens look this good: perfect colors for the bombed-out French city where the last hour takes place, perfect for the faces and uniforms of the gritty soldiers, for the machinery, the smoke-filled skies, etc.

My only complaint is the usage of Lord's name in vain 25-30 times, but, hey, when you consider it's tough men in tough times, that's what you are going to hear. In real life, the profanity probably was worse than the film.

It's hard to picture the brutality of war being any worse than you see here, but it probably was. This is about as graphic as it gets. The violence and gore was shocking when this film came out in 1997 and still is when watched almost a decade later. It's unbelievable what some of the WWII soldiers went through, but that can be said for any war. I believe the purpose of this film was to pay tribute to the sacrifices these men made, and it succeeds wonderfully. Hats off to Steven Spielberg and to Tom Hanks, the leading actor in here, both of whom have worked hard for WWII vets to get the recognition they deserve, not just on film but in a national memorial.

Anyway, language or blood and guts aside, this is still an incredible portrait of WWII. The almost-three hour film is riveting start-to-finish, especially with that memorable beginning action scene, probably the most dramatic in the history of film.

As "entertaining" as those action scenes were, I found the lulls, if you will, to be even better. Listening to Hanks and his men discuss various things as they look for Private Ryan, was fascinating to me. Hanks is just superb in here and once again shows why he is considered one of the best actors in his generation.

The most memorable and powerful moment among the "lulls," is the shot early on of the Ryan mother sinking to her knees on her front porch as she realizes she is about to get disastrous news from the war. Moments later, Harve Presenell, playing Gen. MacArthur, eloquently reads a letter by Abraham Lincoln that is so beautifully written, so profound that it is quoted near the end of the film, too, and I never get tired of hearing it.

This is a man's movie, and shows the horrors of war as few others ever have. To say it is "memorable," just doesn't do it justice. It is the greatest war movie ever made....period.

The most realistic harrowing battle scenes ever filmed...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 9/10 · 26 October 2008]

Steven Spielberg makes a unique motion picture in regards to the D-Day invasion of World War II just in the gritty reality of the detail… For more than twenty minutes he revives for us the landing at Omaha beach… No one was prepared for how horrific it really was… No one understood what was going on: The terror, the chaos, the maelstrom of bullets, the near-deafening explosions…You really got a sense of what these guys had to go through…

Within that perplexity, the focus settles on six soldiers under the command of Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) after they've survived their terrible hours breaking through the first line of German defense, they're given a strange perilous mission, to find one man, Pvt. Ryan (Matt Damon), a paratrooper who's somewhere behind German lines… For them, it's an abstruse order, but they have to get it done…

Throughout the film, Spielberg's attention to detail is amazing… For me, the most chilling scene in the movie is the death of an American officer… It's one of the most intimate… It's also a slightly confusing moment because two German characters resemble each other so greatly…

Toward the middle, a German soldier called "Steamboat Willie" is introduced… By the end of the film, he has become the 'bad' German… Later in the movie, another German is involved in the final fight… He takes part in an exceedingly painful scene of hand-to-hand combat with the American soldier… The two German soldiers have similar short haircuts and black uniforms… Because they looked so much alike, many of us have believed that they're one character… They're not, and the distinction of the two is very significant

A strongly acted, powerful film that is unashamedly brutal!

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 15 March 2009]

This is definitely one of the more powerful war films out there, if not the most powerful. I will admit, when I first saw it at school, I found the first half-hour extremely upsetting to watch.

The acting is outstanding. Especially from Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, and the music alongside Schindler's List is John William's most haunting score I've heard.

It does drag in the middle and the dialogue doesn't always flow as well as it should, but what we have is a historically accurate, extremely well made and directed and unashamedly brutal film. I mean, in the stabbing scene, towards the end, my English teacher had to leave the room. It was like watching Frankenstein's monster tearing out Elizabeth's heart.

8.5/10 for a truly emotional and appropriately sombre war-film, that is a little slow at times. But it deserves to be in the top 250, really it is that good! Bethany Cox

This should cool off the Rambo wannabes

[helpless_dancer · 10/10 · 15 April 2000]

The opening beach assault sequences were the most violent, realistic, and upsetting filming I've ever seen; looked as though the thing was actual combat footage. The shushing noises of rounds cutting through the air was the most chilling part of all. Perfect portrayal of the insane stupidity of war and the anguish of all who enter this most foolish of enterprises. A must see.

One of the most outstanding movies ever

[Xophianic · 10/10 · 2 February 2000]

Saving Private Ryan is, without a doubt, the best war movie ever made and one of the best movies of all time. I wasn't sure what I would think of this movie before I saw it. I heard the gore and carnage was too much, and I heard the story and action was great.

When I finally did see it, I loved it. The gore wasn't as bad, in my opinion, as everyone said it was. I thought the battles scenes were fantastically done. They were entertaining to watch, but with a certain sadness to it. I also think the moments of reflection among the soldiers was very good too. You got to hear their thoughts about the enemy, the soldiers and the war itself.

The acting was great, especially by Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks certainly deserved the Academy Award for best actor, even though he did not get it. Matt Damon also did a great job as Private Ryan. Watch for a great cameo-like performance by Ted Danson.

The storyline was interesting. Most of all, it showed what the war was like and how horrible it was. Some of the American soldiers were killed before they even entered the battlefield, some before they could even fire back, and some went down in a blaze of glory. Either way, you felt pity for the Americans and hatred for the Nazis.

The mission the soldiers were on was to find a single man, Private Ryan, and bring him home, because all of his brothers were killed and he was the last male survivor of the family. You, along with the soldiers in the movie, will always be thinking about whether it is worth it to risk eight lives to save one man. Many things happen through the film that will keep changing your mind about it.

If blood, guts and gore bothers you, you really should not watch Saving Private Ryan. Otherwise, I recommend going out and buying it right away. You will not be disappointed.

Amazing Movie

[AnimeChica · 10/10 · 21 March 2006]

This movie is so powerful. I couldn't watch it without crying, jumping, gasping, screaming, laughing, and cringing. It brought you through a whole array of emotion.

I couldn't help but give my entire being over to each character as a stunning performance was drawn by each actor. Simply amazing. I can't describe it any other way.

Easily the best war film I've seen. None was more realistic... Amazing amazing amazing.

Recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

LOVED IT!

One of the best war movies ever made

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 16 March 2004]

I'm starting to think that everything that Speilberg touches turns to gold. This is probably considered one of the greatest movies of all time and it is directed by Speilberg. The movie is incredable. The beginning was horrifying. I couldn't believe how accurate it was and painful it was to watch. When I studied WW2 in high school, I thought no one could ever re-create the Beach of Normady. But Speilberg did. I felt like I was there with the soldiers. I felt their fear, pride, and love for their country. I couldn't believe how much dedication our armies put into fighting and winning the war. And whenever I go to visit Washington D.C., I have more American pride then ever. I am more than proud to give this movie a

10/10

Amazing insight into World War 2 battles that take your breath away!!

[stevenblackburn · 10/10 · 13 November 2001]

An amazing and compelling insight to warfare. Umbelievable camera shots/angles bring World War 2 to life especially for the US troops on D-Day. The use of flash bullets, and color saturation just add to the effect of a killing ground that not many people survive to come back from.

I have some things to say here.

[Gandalf-2 · 6/10 · 11 October 1998]

Before I saw the film, I have read the comments. Many of You liked Spielberg's new movie. But some of You, mostly from the U.S., write things like "proud to be an American" or "part of American History" or "every American should see this movie".

First of all, I want to say that this war must have been pure terror. National Socialism was an indescribably evil disgrace to humanity. Many of You have grandparents who fought proudly against the Germans in World War II, but I (as a 25-year old German) and others have Grandparents who were bombed out of their homes at night and could not get a whole night's sleep ever since. My parents were born during the war, their first baby-impressions were gunshots and explosions - for years! Nowadays, in Germany it still is common to find old, still explodable bombs when building a new house.

Second, this is not American history, it is not German history, it is World history - Our history. It is the blackest spot ever to be found in the history of the human race.

Third: I don't mean to be rude, but I think that many people have lost the connection to reality. In the first place, making a war movie has two major aspects: Making money (bad) and Reviving History for educational purposes (respectable). But then, feeling history is completely different. In my very neighbourhood, there was a Concentration Camp, only some 53 years ago. I have been to that beach in France, and let me tell You: Just seeing the sea, the sand, the dunes really scared me rigid. Talking with my grandma (she led a baby nursing home in that time), that's history. Just sitting in a movie theatre, listening to SDDS and watching Tom Hanks cry is a different experience.

What I want to state here is that there is quite a difference between a movie (may it be as realistic as possible) and real history. This really happened! Millions of people were slaughtered in the most cruel ways! By other people! When I go to my University building, I see the holes in the wall which have been there since the war. They have never been repaired in order to give people something to think about. From exactly that building, Sophie Scholl and her friends threw Anit-Nazi papers into the crowd and got executed only a short time later.

I think the film is quite accurate, actually. It is not the most impressive war film I have ever seen (that's "The Bridge" from 1959), but it shows how the war was like. In all aspects. Anyway, how can war films be "good" or "best"? "Saving Private Ryan" is an exceptional educational masterpiece, it should be recommended together with "Schindler's List", but it is only a movie. It cannot replace reality.

So, I recommend this: Watch the movie, everyone! But also think about the real people of any nation that were cruelly murdered in those years, and think about those who lived through it. Even think of those who were with the regime and still walk the earth. Then, book a ticket for Europe, see the Normandie for yourself, see Berlin, see Dresden, see Munich, see the wounds of history. And see that being German is not the same as being a Nazi. After You get home to wherever You come from, I promise, You then will have a different view of reality.

Simplistic Schlock for the Simple Minded

[clark-carpenter · 2/10 · 19 October 2006]

Great film is an illuminating thing: it shines its light into the dark recesses of humanity, revealing the greed, hatred, and hypocrisy that fester there. Bad film is often just as revealing: its existence and reception serve as a mirror reflecting the hearts of its intended audience. Saving Private Ryan is a classic example of the latter, in the flickering light of its propagandistic glow, the American people stand revealed for what they really are: stupid, self-absorbed, morally unsophisticated rubes ready to be fleeced by the first charlatan who comes along and tells them what they want to hear.

"Saving Private Ryan" is typical Steven Spielberg fare: a big budget spectacle, bereft of style, filled to the brim with childishly heavy-handed moralizing and peopled with facile "characters" who exist only as cardboard cutouts for the ensuing morality play. Even the film's underlying subtext is an old Spielberg standby - America GOOOOOD, Nazis BAAAAD.

The plot of Saving Private Ryan revolves around a simple moral question: is saving one life worth potentially sacrificing the lives of many? This fourth grade ethical dilemma is played out for nearly three hours over the background of the brocage of Normandy in the hours and days immediately after the D-Day landings, and is handled with Spielberg's usual wandering attention, ham-fisted lack of subtlety and babbling pop psychology. Spielberg being Spielberg, there's never any doubt how the question will ultimately be answered (hint: with saccharine sentimentality in front of a tombstone - because, obviously, the same scene wasn't manipulative enough when it was used to close Schindler's List).

The film opens with thirty minutes of unremitting carnage as US soldiers assault Omaha Beach. This opening scene has been hailed for its savage realism, but it is in truth one of the more cynically manipulative sequences in recent memory, full of irritating, disorienting jump cuts, pornographically Gibsonesque attention to gory detail, camera tricks and special effects artifices, all accompanied by a deafening soundtrack designed to overwhelm our capacity to think about what is being portrayed on the screen and to push us to simply immerse ourselves in its reductive US vs. Them POV. When I saw this film in the theaters, the audience cheered when the first German soldier was killed, then cheered again when American troops murdered surrendering Germans in cold blood: this, I'm sure, was Spielberg's intent.

Having bulldozed and buried any hint of the moral ambiguity of war, Spielberg gets around to the heart of the movie. It has been discovered by the War Department that one Private Ryan (Matt Damon) is now the sole surviving son of a family who has sent five sons to war. Unfortunately, Ryan was a part of the paratrooper drop that preceded the Normandy landings and is missing behind enemy lines. In a moment of supreme hokum (complete with a quotation of a letter by Abraham Lincoln that wouldn't feel out of place in a Ken Burns documentary), Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall (Harve Presnell) decides that an effort will just have to be made to save Private Ryan.

At this point, Saving Private Ryan becomes just another motley-crew-of-experts flick. A team of caricatures is assembled: the tough-as-nails seargent; the feisty Italian; the pious Southern sniper with Talent on Loan from God (if the historical setting had been Vietnam, I'm sure this character would have been replaced by Cuba Gooding Jr. as The Magic Negro); the REMF pussy - all led by Tom Hanks in the role of Tom Hanks, Captain Everyman. Call them the Sanitized Seven. Battles ensue. Some of the caricatures die (does anyone really remember which ones?). The Germans never miss an opportunity to remind us how EVIL they are. One wehrmacht man - having been saved from certain death at the hands our intrepid heroes by the earnest pleas of the REMF - returns only to slowly and sadistically stab an American to death. Oh those tricksy Krauts! In the end, Ryan is saved and Tom Hanks is dying. But it was all worth it. Cue the graveside maundering. USA! USA! USA!

The problem with Saving Private Ryan is the problem with everything Spielberg touches. More broadly, it is the problem of the American commercial cinema. Lacking the courage of any real conviction, it cannot offer any challenge to its audience. Instead, it panders to that audience with easy answers, impressive effects, a soundtrack that booms and tinkles in all the right places and a nice mom's apple pie pat on the back for every red blooded American. What's missing is even the faintest glimmer of awareness that the world doesn't break down neatly into heroes and villains, cowards and the courageous, us and them. In the place of subtlety, it gives us spectacle, in the place of art, it delivers technically proficient propaganda.

This is one of the greatest movies ever made.

[morales123 · 17 May 2000]

To think that this movie did not win Best Picture is a crime. Director Steven Spielberg uses all of his talent and resources to give to the world the greatest war film ever made.

Though it's true that this is not the type of movie you want to sit down with the family and eat popcorn, the emotional drive of the picture, the story's poignant messages, and the fantastic acting of the cast draws you into a world that is both dangerous and unpredictable.

Spielberg is able to take you into action and make you feel as if you are a participant in the movie and not just a viewer. This is Tom Hanks' best movie he ever did. Forget his performances in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump (though they were also good); he should have received another Oscar for the role of Capt. John Miller, a leader who must act strong in front of his men, but must also hide his emotions from them. It would have been well-deserved if he won again.

I give this movie my highest recommendation. Saving Private Ryan is a movie that makes you realize how life is precious and how honor and duty, though they are deep philosophical concepts that are praised in war, can put you in jeopardy of losing your life for something you may not believe in.