Breathtaking and Extraordinary...Ultimate War Depiction

Rating: 10/10 (10 February 2010)

I read the review on the title page that recommended watching this film with a surround sound system to make watching this film an astounding experience. I took the advice of this reviewer and I thank him, the sound quality was mind-blowing and captivated me for the 162 minute running time. However, this brutally realistic depiction of combat is an astounding experience regardless of surround systems.
The film follows a group of soldiers of the 2nd Ranger Batallion who valiantly agree to tackle a brutal mission where the subject is a young trooper by the name of James Francis Ryan who unknowingly as lost his 3 brothers in combat. After his mother receives the news, the chief of staff of the U.S army orders the Generals to inform Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) that he is to locate Private Ryan and release from his duties in combat in order for him to return safely to his grieving mother.
The film follows the group of soldiers as they go to extraordinary lengths in order to 'Save Private Ryan' which involves the death of two soldier's, the medic Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi) and Private Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel), along with the massacre of a number of German and French troops. After the soldiers locate their subject, they break the news to him and despite understandably being crippled with grief, Private Ryan displays extreme reluctance to lead his camp which provokes mixed emotions towards him. Firstly, it's easy to appreciate his nobility and his loyalty towards his duties but this is juxtaposed with a feeling of disdain simply because he initially doesn't appreciate the lengths that the soldier's have went to in order to fin him, whilst abandoning their original duties in the army.
Spelberg's direction is awe-inspired and flawless. He masterfully captures the brutality of combat in the 22-minute opening scene where there is blood, guts and gunfire in abundance. Does blood and guts make for a great depiction of war combat? Definitely not, but it's Spielberg's direction which involves extreme close-ups of casualties and of course, the blood and rain onto the camera lens is an effective technique. Spielberg is very impressive as he makes the viewer realise the pain and suffering, the desperation and sometimes futility of hard-fought combat. Contrary to these portrayals, he is equally effective in engaging the audience into positive emotions such as a feeling of triumph when the soldiers under the command of Captain Miller penetrate the German infantry on Omaha beach when it looked clear that the soldiers where in a desperate struggle against the Germans.
The acting in this movie is not fantastic, it's not supposed to be. The movie, unlike so many others in the modern-day film industry, does not depend on the acting of the main protagonists in order for it to achieve on a number of levels. The acting, however, is impressive and believable. Believable being the operative word. Hanks and co. are very believable in terms of struggling to overcome adversity in its extremist form and battling the almost overwhelmingly brutal elements of combat.
The film is particularly recognised for its intense opening scene set on the beach of Omaha, Normandy but in my opinion, the movie is entertaining, intense and captivating throughout the duration. It has no spells of boredom, there are no dull and listless sequences of dialogue. The dialogue sustains credibility, humour and purity.
This film won 5 academy awards, it should have won more. It received accolades for direction, obviously and also won for cinematography and sound editing whilst the Best Picture went Shakespeare in Love (sigh).
Overall, this is a masterpiece. An intense and brutal depiction of the elements of war. It does to an extent glorify American soldiers considering that a number of soldiers abandoned their respective duties in order to retrieve an unknown private but it does it in an engrossing manner. The script is solid, which is all it needs to be, the same goes with the acting but the cinematography, editing and effects are astonishing. Truly breathtaking. This is the best Spielberg film I have ever watched (I haven't seen Schindler's List) 10/10! Pure cinematic mastery!