Looking back with gratitude

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2007)

Saving Private Ryan is such a powerful and necessary film and one everyone should watch at one point in their life.
It's a simple story; a small group of soldiers are given a mission to retrieve the last surviving of four brothers from behind enemy lines in France. The symbolism of this story and of Ryan himself are profound and personal for all of us today who are partakers of the rights and freedoms given to those liberated by the allied invasion of Europe. The graphic depiction of what these men went through to establish that freedom gives us a difficult reminder of how much we each as individuals owe these men  veterans that are still with us actually went through this! I remember feeling so grateful for their sacrifice, and I left the cinema not so much entertained but shaken. The depth and accuracy of this film remains a testament and a tribute to those brave people, and not the filmmakers themselves. The acting is honest and superb, and the characters are as rich and interesting and ordinary as the real soldiers they could represent. The first time I watched this it was difficult to watch and there were several times when I had to just look away. A technical marvel, an incredible achievement for Steven Spielberg, who remains for me the greatest filmmaker ever.