Am I alone?

Rating: Null/10 (22 February 1999)

Am I alone in thinking that Tom Hanks is not a great actor? He is just not convincing in this role and is made to look very ordinary when compared to the performances of the supporting players whose role in this film has been unfairly ignored. It is a sad day when Ted Danson makes a more convincing Army Captain than Mr Hanks.
This is a good movie but it is not a classic. The battle scenes probably are the most realistic ever filmed but once they are over you are left with a fairly standard war movie with nothing new to say. Sure war is hell but if you have watched any war movie made since Apocalypse Now then surely you know that already. The view of war from the perspective of the common soldier has been done many times before, and in my mind much better in films such as Das Boot, Stalingrad and restoration. I hope that those who are so impressed with Saving Private Ryan take time to check out these films. I would also like to say that as a Brit I did not find the so called nationalistic tone of the film offensive. I don't think that it is an accident that the American Flags are shown to be pale and washed out. I think that this simple image is an effective way of showing a pride in the American achievements in WWII whilst appreciating the tragic loss of life and perhaps an acknowledgement that atrocities were not just the preserve of the Germans. What I did find offensive was the insulting bookend sections which sledge-hammered the message home. Perhaps if Mr Spielberg reads the negative comments about these sections in the IMDB he might realise that we film goers have more intelligence than he gives us credit for and will stop using such unnecessary sentimental devices in his films. In general this film felt like a roller coaster where the biggest drop is the first one. It's exhilerating as hell at the beginning but then you never quite reach the same hights again and end up coasting to a disappointing end.