This is war as it is...

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 1999)

Being a World War II historian and after talking to many veterans of war myself and after having served in the Air force for four years, I can appreciate a film like Saving Private Ryan. This is war as it is. The bravery. The stupidity. The loss. Nobody ever wins at war, you just hope to survive and get back to your family. There's plenty of 'guts' in the movie and I'm glad hollywood finally has the guts to show this, and war as it is. I don't like the ultra-violent action films made now, but this violence has a purpose. What 150,000 Allied troops went through on June 6, 1944 cannot be experienced first hand, but this film comes close. Just think, Steven Spielberg gets us off of Omaha Beach in just twenty minutes. For those who actually participated, it took them from 06:45 hours until well after 12:00 hours. That's around 6 hours or more. Just think of what hell that was for those who landed on Omaha Beach that day which will be remembered as the LONGEST DAY. Spielberg couldn't have assaulted us with 6 hours of combat footage, so he did the next best thing: 'e got us off the beach on the quick.
The story itself is deep in history, not just of WWII when they mention the story of the Brothers Sullivan who died on the same ship in the Pacific, but also mentioning Mrs. Bixby's loss in the Civil War which is also a cornerstone of the plot. Think of the sacrifice real people make on the homefront when they send their loved ones off to war. This sacrifice cuts to the core of the story. Should we sacrifice all of one woman's off-spring for God and Country? No is the resounding answer. An answer that tells us that sometimes one common man is as important as the world entire.
Private Ryan lives a good life. That's what he must do. Many men lost their lives so he could have his. So who does Private Ryan represent? One man in the war machine. One man to whom the war machine sacrificed an arm. Private Ryan represents you and me. Many men sacrificed their lives for us. Many people sacrificed their loved ones for us. Now we must all be like Private Ryan. We must all lead a good life.
Saving Private Ryan reminds us of this sacrifice. That is why this movie is a must see. Ninety-percent of US have never been to war. Ninety-percent of US don't know what war is, really. Ninety-percent of US need this movie to have a taste of what war is. Ninety-percent of US need this movie so we may know the sacrifice made for our freedom. One hundred-percent of US need this movie so we appreciate our freedom.
Thank you Steven Spielberg.