A masterpiece

Rating: 1/10 (19 October 1999)

Following the example of JAWS and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, Steven Spielberg's cinematic masterpiece falls victim to the idiocy of the Academy Awards. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is arguably the best picture of the year and one of the best of all time. The performances are perfect throughout, and the characters are very well-written. This is doubtlessly the most historically accurate movie I've ever seen. Even the dialogue is perfectly written, with surprisingly close attention paid to the accuracy of even the mildest, most casual and briefly-dealt-with topics of conversation. The battle scenes are excellent, and the carnage is both realistic and necessary to add to the film's power. And the underscoring, subtle and sparingly used, is truly beautiful.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN will go down in history. It makes us both understand and appreciate the sacrifices made by our soldiers over 50 years ago. Thought-provoking, shocking, effectively dramatic, beautifully made, and highly intriguing, this movie is a brilliant example of cinematic art.