"Where's the sense of riskin' the lives of the eight of us to save one guy?"

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2011)

Truly a war film for the ages. The battles are long, bloody, and intense. In between, each scene is loaded with tension and suspense. In every scene, there's immaculate detail that showcases war (and the battle of Omaha beach specifically) in the most realistic light possible. It's close to three hours long, but at least half of it is devoted to the incredible battle sequences. A combination of stylistic cameramanship and sound effects help immerse the audience in the shoes of the soldiers, and it has to be seen to be experienced.
The story for this is fine and dandy, and is a serviceable platform for shuffling the characters along their journey. It's also integral for diving into some strong themes concerning the war, the human spirit, and philosophy. The film takes every intellectual advantage of the story's nuances, and with a cast of quality characters, the film does have plenty of strengths.
One problem I have is the plausibility of the story. No way in heck would the Army risk eight men to rescue one, regardless of the circumstance. Surely, if they did this for Ryan, why not everybody else suffering from losses? Then, who would be left to fight? Singling out one soldier just never made sense to me. Incidentally, it didn't make sense to the story's characters either, and as they discuss and find the value in the issue, the story works in its own bizarre way.
Additionally, the scene in the middle of the film (where the soldiers charge after a target of opportunity) struck me as dumb and unnecessary. The main character became uncharacteristically arrogant at this point, and the scene overall felt out-of-place. I almost suspect that it could have been removed from the film completely. I'm also not fond of the film's commemorative beginning and closing; it strikes me as manipulative and overly-sentimental.
Otherwise, the film is exceptionally strong. Despite some herky-jerky cameramanship, I do love the photography throughout; there are lots of intimate close-ups and interesting long-shots, they are all full of detail. Acting is really good; Tom Hanks is the man, Tom Sizemore is not bad, Edward Burns is cool, I loved Barry Pepper's role, Matt Damon is surprisingly strong, and it's interesting seeing Vin Diesel in the mix. Writing has a lot of interesting and bright moments. Production value is very strong, with highly-detailed and seemingly-realistic sets, props, costumes, locations, vehicles, weapons, and everything. Music is a little overly-sentimental at times, but good in other parts.
Recommended.
4.5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 5/5)