I honestly can say I wanted to hug the nearest veteran and say thank you

Rating: 10/10 (19 October 2017)

Saving Private Ryan
Perhaps Saving Private Ryan's greatest compliment comes from the extraordinary individuals who were actually there on D Day. Many documentaries and articles since the films release tell of the veterans who praise the film for its realism. The praise may not be always positive if that is possible. The film brought back memories for those of the hell that they carry around with them everyday.
One conclusion can be made is that Spielberg crafted a war movie the likes the world had never seen before. The opening thirty minutes of this film are probably the most effective that I have ever witnessed. As a college student at the time of this movies release I wasn't prepared for the audiovisual onslaught that I was about to experience. Naively I believed that I was off to see another gung-ho war movie like the ones Stallone and Arnie regularly churned out. Boy did I get educated that day! I went into the screening with an immature view on the world and left with a deep appreciation for the men and women who gave their lives so I can enjoy the freedoms I take for granted. I honestly can say I wanted to hug the nearest veteran and thank them. Thank them for the world we are able to enjoy today.
Saving Private Ryan tells the story of a group of men, soldiers who risk their collective lives to save just one. Private James Ryan played by Matt Damon. A young man who has just lost his brothers to the war that surrounds him. The mission is simple. Get him home. No mother should have to lose three sons. The story reminds us of the importance of a single life and our duty to do something with it while we have the chance. Spielberg's film is wonderfully crafted. If it looks impressive it sounds even more so. The immersive experience was new at the time of release. Never had surround sound been so effective. Every bullet, every grain of dirt could be heard and almost felt. If the films production values are stellar then the performances by the cast outshines. Every single performance is Oscar worthy. Especially lead actor Tom Hanks who has never been better. The range he displayed here was exceptional. Both physically and emotionally, Hanks pours everything into the role of Captain Miller. He's no war machine. He's not built for war like the fictional characters of Rambo and Arnie's Commando. He's an ordinary man. A man molded by war. Adapted by it so he can survive and return home to his wife. One of the movies intriguing plot points is the fact that Millers brothers in arms have no clue to his occupation back in the world before war. A reminder to us all that the world was made a better place by real people, not superheroes or fictional one man war machines. Saving Ryan may be a piece of fiction but it is founded on true events. Events that changed the way our world turns. No number of school lectures could have educated me more on the reality of war than the first thirty minutes of this film...