Jon Monsarrat review: war movie with something to say

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2002)

I'm an action movie lover, but typically war movies turn me off. There's just too much awfulness going around -- if stuff is blowing up, I want it to be cartoony so I can enjoy it rather than be traumatized.
And, frankly, most of the war movies I've seen have mostly commented on the horror of war. OK, I get it. War is hell, and I'd like to spend my life avoiding hell whenever possible. It's certainly not entertainment.
"Saving Private Ryan" does have its painfully realistic moments, but there is a message and it is worth hearing. It won't spoil the story for me to write it here. Those who died in war made a sacrifice that obligates us, the survivors and beneficiaries of their sacrifice, to live life to the fullest and make their sacrifice worthy.
This and many other themes are handled well in a superbly acted story whose visual effects are used to show the aspects of war rather than immerse us in 3D graphics chaos from which we learn nothing (as in Black Hawk Down).
Who should see this film:
-- War movie buffs
-- Action movie buffs, even if you don't normally go for war films, unless the deep thinking and arty aspects are a turn-off
-- Drama / arty types who don't easily get nightmares
I'll give "Saving Private Ryan" an 8 out of 10.