Saving Private Ryan

Rating: 9/10 (17 March 2005)

Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park) deservedly won the Oscar for directing Schindler's List, and he did it again with another World War II film, this time in the battle itself, he was also won the Golden Globe, and was nominated the BAFTA. Basically the film starts with the fantastic opening on Ohama beach with Captain John H. Miller (Oscar BAFTA nominated, and medal for Distinguished Public Service Award (highest US Navy Civilian honour) winning Tom Hanks) and his troops struggling for survival against the Nazi Germans. After surviving this, they are given a special mission that they don't understand the significance of, to find one man and bring him home. They are now on the search for Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), and when they eventually find him, he doesn't know why he is needed to get home. This film may have its annoying chats and breakaways from battle, probably why it's four out of five stars, but this still sticks closer to the truth than fiction. Also starring Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Mike Horvath, Edward Burns as Pvt. Richard Reiben, Barry Pepper as Pvt. Daniel Jackson, Adam Goldberg as Pvt. Stanley Mellish, Vin Diesel as Private Adrian Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as T-4 Medic Irwin Wade, Jeremy Davies as Cpl. Timothy P. Upham, Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill and Paul Giamatti as Sergeant Hill. It won the Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Makeup, Best Music for John Williams, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Picture, it won the BAFTAs for Best Sound and Best Special Effects, and it was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Make Up/Hair, Best Production Design, the David Lean Award for Direction and Best Film, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and it was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Screenplay. Steven Spielberg was number 56 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, Tom Hanks was number 3 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 39 on The World's Greatest Actor, the film was number 45 on 100 Years, 100 Thrills, it was number 10 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, and it was number 1 on The 100 Greatest War Films. Very good!