Gets more impressive every time I see it. The most intense true to life depiction of combat ever recorded on the silver screen. Steven Spielberg masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (28 September 2018)

Steven Spielberg's masterpiece. Tom Hanks most magnificent performance. Winner of 5 Oscars and more than 70 other prizes worldwide. Unprecedented true to life combat photography. Dynamic 3 hour long story that elevates this movie into the best tribute to all those American soldiers who died fighting for freedom in Europe during World War II. This is THE ultimate depiction of D-Day when the Americans freed western Europe. What a tragic and bleak, yet glorious epic war classic!
The story is literally about the rescuing behind enemy lines of an American soldier called Ryan, played by Matt Damon in a small supporting role. Tom Hanks has to rescue the guy with a team of specially selected soldiers, among which are Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel. Their journey to find and rescue private Ryan is a long, bleak and bloody one, in which soldiers are normal people with nervous breakdowns who go mental when confronted with so much cruel violence. This is not a gung ho funny action movie, this is how it really could have happened, with all the bleak and twisted soul shattering fears that soldiers have to conquer mentally, when they are in combat.
The photography is stunning. Like I have never seen it before. Seen this movie many times now and it bewilders me every time how they have achieved such a level of true to life war combat photography. Even if you might not like the story, which I would find hard to believe, the action photography on itself is worthy of an Oscar, which it deservedly got.
The soundtrack is dark and glorious. The sound effects were sonically blasting my ears when the tanks started rolling and the mortar shells were exploding all around. Editing is done with a fever pitch that keeps me glued to the screen. I can go on and on about the superb technical skills with which this movie was made, but the most important thing is that this movie has a got a pulsating righteous heart at it's core. This movie touches me profoundly. Only a few times during the last 40 years, have I ever been this fascinated by a war movie. Incredibly impressive!