A film to be put in a time capsule.

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 1999)

As few others have done before him, Steven Spielberg depicts war as the true nightmare that it is. No glamorization here; Sherman's phrase "war is hell" seems like a day at the beach compared to what we see in "Saving Private Ryan." The only other film I can recall that delineates war to be as horrific as it appears in "Ryan" is Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," albeit for different reasons
The cinematography, special effects, sets, and costumes all create a mind-boggling sense of realism. The script is haunting. Phrases just linger in one's mind, such as Captain Miller's rueful observation that every man he kills takes him a little further away from home.
Spielberg's direction is just that: direct. There is no dazzling visual trickery here, just naturalistic movie making at it's best. When I left the theater, I felt grateful to the men who fought the fight of WWII.