Technically brilliant, but disappointing all the same.

Rating: Null/10 (24 November 1998)

There's no doubt in my mind that 'Saving Private Ryan' is technically one of the best films ever. Janusz Kaminski should be congratulated for his cinematography, especially in the opening sequence. The sound effects are amazing, and I for one was particularly impressed by the part where the sound of raindrops on leaves imitated the sound of guns firing.
It's no understatement to say that Tom Hanks is brilliant. He has proven himself to be the most versatile actor in Hollywood, without exception. If the hype is true that 'Saving Private Ryan' is up against 'The Truman Show' to sweep the Oscars, and Hanks is up against Jim Carrey for Best Actor, then 'Ryan' and Hanks should win hands down.
Yet all the same I felt severely disappointed, maybe even cheated, by the movie. Beneath the main plot, a sort of sub-plot developed in which the audience is given glimpses into the internal emotions and mental turmoil of all involved, especially Captain Miller. At least, that's what I perceived the shaking hand and the "I'm a schoolteacher" bit to mean. The audience is sucked into thinking that, regardless of how many die, and whether or not Ryan is saved, this sub-plot is going to lead to Spielberg's big thematic message, his conclusion, his comment, at the end. But that resolution never comes, and there seems to be no point to the film, nothing it's trying to say. While that in itself is not disappointing, as many films have no message, what is frustrating is being led to feel as though a lesson is coming, and then not getting it.
In terms of the violence, I don't think the Omaha beach landing sequence is particularly gruesome, at least no more graphic than the part in the middle where Miller's men apply pressure to a stomach wound, and you feel the victim suffering as he turns white and dies.
And, not being an American but an Australian, there has been a lot made of the so-called Americanism of the film, how no black American soldiers seem to be mentioned, and how the other Allied troops are forgotten about, but I tend to think that's no more than pedanticism, taking a stereotypical swipe at a film where such bias has no glaring impact.
So in short, 'Saving Private Ryan' is technically brilliant, but it still left a very hollow feeling. 8 out of 10.