Hymn to the Fallen

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2002)

Steven Spielberg has made a hymn. This movie pays hommage to millions of lives lost in all wars, by the eyes of soldiers that could be just any soldier. The synopsis isn't important: James Ryan, the last of four brothers will be bailed out of war so that he can return home before he dies. A division is assigned the mission of finding him and bringing him back. But it won't be that easy. It's just that simple, without spoilers. The real juice in this movie is first of all a masterful depiction of war as it was: a stupid carnage that took thousands of lives. And the opening sequence proves what I'm talking about: those must be the most haunting 30 minutes of 90's cinema. The movie's also a great study of how Man reacts when everything has cessed to make sense around him. This movie is not an easy experience. It's a thrill ride, but I'm not talking popcorn: everyone should see it, for his own sake. This movie opens our eyes. And we'll never look at war the same way again. One of the best movies of the last decade, and one of the biggest errors in the Oscars.