Saving Private Ryan: Spielberg spills more blood than Tarantino has ever seen

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2016)

There aren't many film directors as influential and recognizable as Steven Spielberg. He is mostly known for his fun films for almost all ages. Yet, one of his most acclaimed works to date is called one of the most violent, most realistic and grittiest depictions of war in cinema history. This is one of Spielberg's greatest movies.
The film is set in the Normandy during World War II. Three of the four brothers named Ryan have fallen in battle. The military decides it is the best to escort the last brother, James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) back home, so that his family wouldn't lose all of their sons. Captain Miller (played by Tom Hanks) is told to guide a group of soldiers (including actors such as Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper and Jeremy Davis among others) to find Ryan.
The acting in Saving Private Ryan is very amazing. Tom Hanks is, as always, the master of his doings, but we have seen better roles by Tom Hanks a few times. Although he functions more like a McGuffin than an actual character, and has not so much screen time, Matt Damon has one of his best performances ever. The supporting actors Barry Pepper and Jeremy Davis do their job very well too.
The cinematography in this films is among the best I have ever seen. In some scenes, like the famous Omaha Beach scene, at the beginning of the movie, the camera is very shaky, but you can still see what is going on. This adds to the tension of the scene. The visual style is very realistically brutal, as claimed by many historians and survivors of the D-Day battle.
Saving Private Ryan is one of the best, if not the best, war movies ever made. Cinematography is flawless, acting is amazing and it is one of these films that truly show how terrible war actually is. This is a very depressing movie, but it also has some uplifting and even funny moments (like when Corporal Upham trips over the typewriter). To sum it up: this is about how far you can get from a movie being "fubar". 10/10