It's only a war movie

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 1999)

I'm waiting for the second run of SPR so I can see it for a third time. This is not to say I loved this film or consider it to be the great masterpiece so many have over-hyped it to be. I happen to love historical epics and WWII is my favorite history subject along with the rarity of this type film these days makes it the more desirable for me to view. I do concur with all the rave about the opening beach landing being an intense awe-inspiring film experience however the remaining two plus hours of the film are quite ordinary and only the exciting battle at the conclusion of the film rescues SPR from being a dull disappointment. I also find the battle at the end of the film to be a contradiction to the opening battle and confuses the whole message. In the first battle we are in the middle of massive carnage and gore and get the feel of being pinned down and what it's like to fear moving an inch and being killed but if you don't move you will be killed anyway! There is no false heroics only desperate men trying to stay alive and do their job. This better than any battle I've seen on film convinces me that I don't want any part of combat and there is nothing glorious about it and those that endured through it deserve our greatest admiration and respect which I believe is the primary message in the film. The conclusion however resembles the rousing old adventure war films of the past. Capt. Miller has found Ryan and has orders to bring him back to be sent home and this is his mission but instead he is talked into defending an important bridge by Ryan who doesn't want to abandon his comrades. We are then treated to an exhilarating battle that does not nearly match the terror and gore of the first and all the old W.W.II movie clichÃ©s start to show up. The rock hard sergeant who feels no pain no matter how many times he is shot, Ryan and his honorable loyalty to his men refusing to go home without having to risk his life any longer and of course the cavalry saving the day at the end when all appears lost !? I have a problem with films today dealing with war in that they go out of there way to try and convey too many messages as I believe there is a fear that its no longer politically correct or acceptable to make a war film for the sake of entertainment. I do believe there have been some great war films with a message such as Paths Of Glory and Go Tell The Spartans and others but there have been far too many that try too hard to preach war is hell and so on and SPR is one of them. I'm not ashamed to say that I prefer films like The Longest Day and Where Eagles dare as they are more entertaining and far more successful at what they are trying to be. No film today tomorrow or a hundred years from now will ever convey the horror of war or will impact society's view of war alone. Twenty years from now some other war film will come along and SPR will seem tame in comparison but it will still just be a movie like SPR is. I went to see SPR for the action and my W.W.II interest and was compelled only by those two things not the weak story line or pretentious messages and syrupy drama. SPR is a good film because of two great action pieces that hold up the long message laden middle and if it wasn't for the cliched conclusion and Ryan simply returned to the rear this film would not be seen by as many people who would have been disappointed by a anti-climactic non action conclusion which is the primary reason people view war films to see combat action not be preached at about how horrible war is !