Saving Private Ryan(1998)- User Reviews

I can't begin to tell you how much I absolutely adore this film. Being a fan of war movies, I was anxious to see it from the time I saw the first theatrical trailer. Besides the fact that I love war movies, the two biggest reasons for me to see this were Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Spielberg, fresh off his triumphant "Amistad," directs this movie with such energy and passion, that it absolutely radiates off the screen. Tom Hanks, as Capt. John Miller, brings a heart to his performance that, sadly, would have been missing had anyone else taken the role. The rest of the cast, which includes Vin Diesel, Jeremy Davies, Tom Sizemore, Ed Burns, and Matt Damon in the title role, is nothing short of brilliant. I also loved the action in here. After the beginning, which shows Ryan as an old man, we are dropped smack in the middle of the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach. Hundreds of men are killed, some before they even set foot on land. Because of his courage during this brutal, bloody battle, Miller is given a new mission. Three men, who just happened to be brothers, had been killed in action, and Miller is ordered to take a squad and find the fourth brother so He can go home. After a series of bloody ambushes, the squad locates him. At first, he is, to say the least, reluctant to go home. But, after seeing that his squad can carry on without him, he agrees. I won't tell you what happens next, except to say that I was completely caught off guard by it. This is an excellent movie that proves that, as the old saying goes, "War is Hell." It is also one of the greatest war films of all-time. If you can survive the first twenty-five minutes without losing your lunch, I highly recommend it.