Easily the greatest war movie ever and in my opinion the greatest movie ever

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2000)

While I may be a bit prejudiced on the subject, since I consider myself a WWII buff, this is by far the greatest movie I have ever seen. While the extremely graphic violence is not for the faint of heart it is done with a frightening degree of accuracy and that is a large part of what makes this movie truly great. The fact that it was denied the Best Picture Academy Award is a crime.
Tom Hanks was wonderful as the leader of the small band of men in search of a missing paratrooper. His performance was by no means bad but I personally do not believe it was impressive enough to earn him the Oscar. Or perhaps to be more fair it was not as impressive as some of the other work done in the same year.
SPR is a blueprint for how to make a truly wonderful what I would call a "fictional documentary." (based in fact but with a fictional plot line)
The most telling moment for me was the first time I saw this film in the theater. When the final scene faded out and the credits rolled there was total silence. Not a single person in the packed theater uttered a single word and for a few moments no one even moved. Then, slowly, everyone quietly stood and left. This is the only movie I know that has left an entire audience totally speechless. Probably because Mr. Spielberg had already said everything there was to say.