War is a duplicitous adventure.

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 1999)

We live in an age where war is not fashionable and Old Glory has not the respect it once did. This movie begins and ends with a shot of the American flag looking as if it had been washed in hot water instead of sent to the dry cleaner.
A woman has three sons killed in action virtually simultaneously. Army policy is that, in such a situation, the sole surviving son - Private Ryan - be discharged. Unfortunately, Ryan parachuted behind German lines the day before D-Day. The Army Chief of staff meets with his wogs. Some seem concerned about bad PR if all the sons die. Some see the rescue mission as suicide.
This may be a violent "war" movie but it is also a story about the decision to do what is right - saving Private Ryan whatever the cost may be.
War is a duplicitous adventure. Men do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons. Sometimes its hard to tell the two apart.
The lead character, played by Tom Hanks, tries to do what is right. In the "fog of war" some die and some good is done. Maybe that's what war is all about.