Spielberg makes a stunning film... and then ruins it

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 1999)

For the most part, "Saving Private Ryan" is a film of great integrity and honesty. For the bulk of the breezy three hour length, I thought that Spielberg had enough trust in his material to allow it to stand on its own. No such luck. In the final minute of the film, Spielberg unleashes a scene that is so melodramatic and manipulatingly cloying that it severely undercuts an otherwise fine film. Spielberg needs to learn that his movies can have a powerful message and leave a lasting impression without having to tell the audience what he wants them to get from it.