Is it really that good?

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2000)

Now that 2 years have passed and everybody has calmed down, (or has seen it more than 20 times) ask yourself this: if it weren't for the superbly awesome beginning and ending action sequences, isn't this just as routine and regular as any other war movie in memory?
If there's brilliant writing I don't see it. What else, besides those 2 sequences, do 99.9% of the people marvel over when you mention the name "Saving Private Ryan"? The tear-jerking scene of Tom Hanks jerking tears?
Those 2 mind-blowing scenes rendered us defenseless, turning us into turnips, forcing us to willingly nod our heads to an otherwise corny story.
For me, I watched this movie 4 times in the theater. From the second time onward, I left the cinema shortly after "It's a Hitler youth knife" and came back a little before "Reiban, get on that rabbit!".