Very good, not quite great

Rating: Null/10 (10 August 1998)

Saving Private Ryan was a very good film. I loved the gritty realism of WWII that Spielberg depicted. The performances were all outstanding. A few complaints:
1) Lack of character development. With the exception of maybe Hanks' character, we learn next to nothing about these men. The characterization has little depth.
2) The sound effects drown out dialogue. I don't know if it was intended or not but it was very annoying.
3) A little unrealistic towards the end. I've heard it was based on a true story so maybe I'm wrong here, but...
Overall, I was a little disappointed, and I thought Schindler's List was far better and remains Spielberg's best film.