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.

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.

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.

surviving this, they are given a special mission that they don't understand the significance of, to find one man and bring him home. They are now on the search for Private James Francis Ryan Matt Damon , and when they eventually find him, he doesn't know why he is needed to get home. This film may have its annoying chats and breakaways from battle, probably why it's four out of five stars, but this still sticks closer to the truth than fiction. Also starring Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Mike Horvath, Edward Burns as Pvt. Richard Reiben, Barry Pepper as Pvt. Daniel Jackson, Adam Goldberg as Pvt. Stanley Mellish, Vin Diesel as Private Adrian Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as T-4 Medic Irwin Wade, Jeremy Davies as Cpl. Timothy P. Upham, Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill and Paul Giamatti as Sergeant Hill. It won the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Makeup, Best Music for John Williams, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Picture, it won the BAFTAs for Best Sound and Best Special Effects, and it was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Make Up/Hair, Best Production Design, the David Lean Award for Direction and Best Film, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and it was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Screenplay. Steven Spielberg was number 56 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, Tom Hanks was number 3 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 39 on The World's Greatest Actor, the film was number 45 on 100 Years, 100 Thrills, it was number 10 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, and it was number 1 on The 100 Greatest War Films. Very good!

glamorising the whole experience with all the usual heroics and bittersweet sentimentality that we have seen in a thousand war movies before.Still having said that, this is still an excellent movie and is well worth watching.

genetically antiamerican ? that's ridiculous ! I hate set ideas !The german soldiers look dumb and wanting very eagerly take some US slug in the map ! Come on, guys ! The germans are just there to be shooted, they act stupidly what cost them their life, they have no survivng instinct ... i don't buy it !The landing scene seemed ended a little too fast and easily to match the reality i think IMHO Of course, there may be a little too much US patriotism for the average european viewer, we are not used to it anymore in our countries self-glorification, i mean but after all it's an american movie and they did change the fate of Europe and the world, so ... let them do it.anyway good movie, i give it a 8/10. you should at least see it once ! >

France. It is one of the greatest war films ever put on celluloid, its scope arguably larger than any other in the genre, its conflict superb.The movie, based on the actual events surrounding the Nilan brothers during World War II, is about a group of soldiers sent to rescue Private Ryan Matt Damon , a young man who loses three brothers in the war, and whose mother is spared the possible chance of losing her remaining son after Captain Miller Tom Hanks and his platoon are sent on a dangerous mission to find, and return, Private Ryan to safety.The men who fight alongside Miller have to question their own actions. What makes Private Ryan more important than any of them? They all have mothers, too. But they follow orders, venturing into the battlefields of WWII France in search of Private Ryan. The most reluctant of the soldiers is Private Reiben Edward Burns , a pessimistic everyman who feels no need to risk his own life for that of another man.The battle scenes are ultimately what made "Saving Private Ryan" one of the highest-grossing films of the decade, and what enticed so many eager viewers into theaters. Many veterans of the war reportedly broke down in tears during one of the first sequences, the landing at Omaha Beach, which probably lasts about fifteen minutes -- at least.However, the movie also reaches a sort of emotional height that few other war films manage to capture. This is a fascinating account of war, packed with terrifyingly realistic scenes and some of the most disturbing images you will ever see in a mainstream film, but it also has a lot to say about friendship and selfless motivations. "Earn this," Captain Miller tells Private Ryan at one point in the film.Spielberg has proved countless times that he is capable of abandoning his famously schmaltzy style of film-making to record touching stories that often times relate to his own life. Spielberg claims that he felt an internal desire to tackle this project, as much as he felt it was necessary to direct "Schindler's List." Both films work as a sort of documentary-style motion picture, but also contain fundamental emotional truths, which elevate them to higher ground.Tom Hanks, as Captain Miller, is not the first actor who comes to mind when one thinks of war picture, but Hanks' position in the film works to great effect primarily because he personifies the everyman quality of a soldier. As we too often forget, the men who fight wars are not always the Schwarzeneggers with huge muscles and a wealth of weapons and ammunition. The soldiers in World War II were fathers, husbands, brothers, sons. Hanks successfully embodies the image of a simple man who is thrust into a world war and tries his best to stay alive.Is "Saving Private Ryan" a better movie than "Apocalypse Now," "Platoon," or other great war pictures in the genre? Not necessarily. But it stands on its own as an amazing achievement of pure film-making, and an ode to the thousands of men who lost their lives for the campaign against Hitler's armies. If you can stomach the violence and accurate depictions of brutal warfare, "Saving Private Ryan" is one of the most moving cinematic experiences you will ever have.