Works more as a shoot 'em up. Less as a drama.

Rating: Null/10 (8 July 2004)

Saving Private Ryan will certainly be a film well-remembered for generations to come. But why? Perhaps because it took place during a crucial stretch of such an important conflict. Perhaps because it was so gory. Perhaps because Tom Hanks was in it. Who really knows?
I like this film quite a bit. I sure as hell have never been in combat, but I'm sure this film paints a fairly realistic picture of it. If that opening footage of the Normandy invasion doesn't stick with you, nothing will. Talk about balls. Charging onto that beach. When I see these old timers that took part in this war, I always think of that scene, and wonder if that person was there or not.
But overall, this film works best as an action film. It really does. I didn't connect on a personal level with any of these major characters. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. Maybe these characters were supposed to be just a metaphor for average joes from all over the USA. You have the Jewish guy, the hick who prays before he shoots, the tough-talking guy from Brooklyn, and the ambiguously ethnic guy (Vin Diesel) to name but a few. I just didn't get choked up when any of them died. Except maybe that poor little medic who died about half-way through. That was truly a sad scene.
What I liked the most were the gun fights. They were truly exciting. At times I expected AHNOLD or someone to join in the fray. This action was compelling, but I think it robbed from the dramatic angle somewhat. The battle to take that bridge at the end was outstanding.
This is a very good film to be sure, and it pays a fine tribute to the Americans who died in WWII. If nothing else, it's a hell of a lot better than The Thin Red Line. That film is AWFUL. It is an insult to those like my grandfather who served in the Pacific. Way too artsy to be taken seriously.
Saving Private Ryan gets a solid 9 of 10 stars.
So sayeth the Hound.