SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ****
"What the hell do we do now, sir?" the discombobulated grunt asks
his equally nonplussed captain. The captain has lost most of his men
in what appears certain to be a rout. As soon as their landing craft
hit the beach, most of his troops were slaughtered before they could
get out. A few jumped into the sea only to be shot underwater while
attempting to remove their heavy packs. The water has turned a blood
red from the massive bleeding of thousands of dead soldiers.
It is June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach. By the end of the day the
battle, which looked at first like a monstrous disaster, will turn into
one of the greatest victories in modern military history.
As the wise Captain John Miller, the man whose unit has almost
vanished, Tom Hanks gives the most reserved performance of his career -
reserved, but no less brilliant. Hanks plays a man who prefers being
an enigma to the men under his command. They take bets on when he will
finally reveal his occupation in civilian life. Why this is a mystery
is a mystery in itself. Mild mannered but self-assured John Miller
doesn't look like a man who would want or need to hide his past.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is director Steven Spielberg's best film since
SCHINDLER'S LIST. A moving war picture that takes neither an overly
pacifist nor patriotic approach, it avoids shameless manipulation of
the audience's emotions. The war itself is shown so realistically that
the reaction of many viewers may be similar to mine. I wanted to go to
a private corner and cry my eyes out after the movie finished.
The film opens in the present with a dramatic scene of an old man
leading a private procession to a military cemetery. With his extended
family behind him, he stares at a white cross in a sea of crosses and
breaks into tears.
Part of a strong cast, GOOD WILL HUNTING's Matt Damon plays
Private Ryan. Private Ryan's three brothers have been killed in the
same week in battle so the top brass sends Captain Miller and a small
crew out to locate the private and bring him home to safety. Edward
Burns, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Tom
Sizemore and Giovanni Ribisi play the soldiers accompanying the captain
on the rescue mission.
Since Private Ryan has parachuted behind the German lines, finding
him is a dangerous operation akin to finding the proverbial needle in a
haystack. The captain's men resent the mission to prevent Private
Ryan's mother from losing all of her sons. They argue that they have
mothers too. As they start to be killed off, their cynicism increases
and then turns bitter toward this Private Ryan, whom they've never met.
Full of twists and turns, their quest is long and torturous.
John William's heroic music for the film is sweeping in its
grandeur, yet never overwhelms the more delicate moments.
SCHINDLER'S LIST's Academy Award winning cinematographer Janusz
Kaminski is as good in the intimate moments as the dramatic ones. When
the men rest inside a church, he uses a warm natural lighting to show
reverence toward the men's battle worn faces. When the captain goes up
on a ridge, the camera captures him in shadow with all of the drama of
a Life magazine cover. Finally, Kaminski uses the handheld camera to
good effect during the battle sequences. As it bounces up and down,
you can feel the jitters of the fighting men, and the chaos of the
battle.
Between scenes that take your breath away, Robert Rodat's script
is smart enough to throw in a little much-needed humor. Fighting a war
vicariously can take an enormous toll on an audience. Watching men
necessarily reduced to animals fighting for survival may be hard to
watch, but this film of Spielberg's is movie making at its best. It is
an experience sometimes hard to endure but not to be missed.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN runs 2:48. It is rated R for profanity and
strong violence and would be fine for mature teenagers.
Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: Saving Private Ryan is one of the best all time war movies ever made. It doesn't glorify war, but rather brutally shows the horror the soldiers had to go through. These kids didn't want to be there, but gave their lives for their country. Steven Spielberg does a wonderful job directing this and was well deserved in winning the oscar for best direction. The opening battle scene, which was the battle on Omaha Beach, June 6 1944 was something to behold. You shouldn't be very squeamish if you want to watch this movie, especially this scene. Men are blown to bits right before your eyes and even worse. The camera work is excellent too... Stop motion and a shakey camera gives the illusion that it's really being filmed there. Blood and dirt also appear on the camera at times which gives it an even more realistic feel. The entire cinematography in this movie is magnificent. If you own a dvd player, this is worth adding to your collection. It has the making of this movie on it as well which tells how the actors went through a grueling process themselves, so when you see their worn faces, thats not an illusion. This truly is a breathtaking film to watch and you will be astonished and brought to tears from seeing the horrors of war brutally portrayed onscreen. Definately worth seeing if you like war dramas, one of the best.
I give Saving Private Ryan 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review written November 7, 1999
