Excellent

Rating: 10/10 (8 December 2015)

This was just a fantastic movie. That opening half an hour with the allied invasion of Normandy is like nothing I've ever seen before, unflinchingly gritty, violent, bloody, loud, horrific and brutal. I was actually watching it on the treadmill and had to stop because I was gasping and then sobbing. Probably one of the most realistic portrayals of the horrors of war ever made. This was in your face throughout and doesn't glorify or lie about combat.
The movie itself I would have to say is a bit of a masterpiece with amazing attention to detail and Steven Spielberg deservingly winning an Oscar for his stunning war drama. The story follows a squad of US army soldiers on a mission to rescue a GI trapped behind enemy lines in France on D-day after all 3 of this brothers are killed in action.
Excellent performances all round but especially from (Tom Hanks) as Capt. Miller leading his men on their perilous mission to locate that one man, Pvt. Ryan (Matt Damon), a paratrooper who's somewhere behind German lines. I also really enjoyed Tom Sizemore.
This movie has so many familiar faces attached and it was interesting (and even fun) seeing all the different actors showing up along the way in the search for Ryan including Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Bryan Cranston, Dennis Farina, Edward Burns, Giovanni Ribisi, Nathan Fillion, Paul Giamatti, Vin Diesel, Ryan Hurst. 11/11/15