A true masterpiece of War Movies **May contain spoilers**

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2004)

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards and for good reason. When released on video several years ago, I watched about the first 5 minutes and turned away, with no stomach for the blood and graphic violence in the opening scene...with the release of the special edition DVD and it's reasonable price and many accolades, I had to buy it to add to my collection. And am I glad I did. First Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were absolutely superb as director and actor, respectively. No one in tinseltown could have done a better job with a war movie. And Spielber's objective was met with me anyway....know why we celebrate "Memorial Day" and "Veterans Day"...this movie will explain why... The cinematography in this film won the Oscar and rightly so!! I watched the special features and Spielberg stated he extracted something like 60% of the color to allow for more of a dated type film appearance, to look like footage....and it worked...it made the movie so much more believable...and bring you to the time and place and the horrors of war and heroes we hear about but never meet. The viewer is spared no brutality, no violence of war...it's frightening but gripping, hard to watch but also hard to look away....
There are many tearful moments in this movie, so it's definitely a "have a tissue nearby" film. Sad, poignant, profound moments that (if you're human i.e. compassionate) will force you, however subliminally to remember what honoring our fallen heroes and the survivors of war is all about. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg will bring you into the lives of the soldiers of WWII. And this movie should awaken the viewer who sees it now to the honor that our soldiers from any way, whether it's WWI, WWII, Vietnam (especially) and now Iraq, DESERVE to be honored for their losses..for they're lack of tomorrows are for our todays!
A 10/10!! Kudos to Spielberg! This will join the movie classics of all time!!