An Incredible film

Rating: 9/10 (26 February 2007)

Saving Private Ryan is one one of Spielberg's best movies, and that's saying a lot. It was an incredible experience and the first twenty minutes or so was intense, graphic, and completely realistic. It is known as probably one of the greatest scenes in cinema history ever. It was a great beginning to an incredible movie.
Tom Hanks plays Captain John H. Miller. After surviving the attack at Omaha Beach (known now as D-Day) he and his platoon are given new orders to search for a private Ryan and bring him back home. You see, all of Ryan's brothers have been killed in combat, and since he is the last survivor, the higher ups in the U.S. military want him returned safely to his grieving mother who has already lost three of her boys.
Miller of course takes the job. He doesn't much like it, but he is just following the orders of his superiors. When he tells his platoon about it, they are all against it. After all, why should they risk all their lives for one person. They gripe about it, but ultimately they followed their leader and go on the search mission behind enemy lines where Ryan's squadron was parachuted in.
Along the way we learn about the characters, yet the pace never was drawn out. As the action is happening we are also learning a little bit about the characters. Vin Diesel had and early roll with this movie, and other actors include Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Mike Horvath, Edward Burns as Private Richard Reiben, Barry Pepper as Private Daniel Jackson, Adam Goldberg as Private Stanley Mellish, and Henry Thomas. All were good in their roles.
This movie had excellent cinematography and editing as well as great sound. It was no wonder it won the academy awards for all of these, and I also believe that Spielberg's Oscar for Best Director was the right choice. Tom Hanks was the main star, but Spielberg's directing made all the characters seem just as important, and kept the pace of the moving going without any real slow up.
My only question would be about the story which is told form a soldier's view. I have know problem with the story being told from that view, but what I do have a problem with is believing that our leaders would create a mission that would risk eight of their men to save one. I know that the grieving mother lost three of her boys, but would our military really go through all this for one man? I don't think so. But then it is just a movie. Overall I enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it to anybody.