an awesome acheivement from a master film-maker

Rating: 10/10 (21 September 1998)

There is nothing new in Saving Private Ryan but the standard war-is-hell details are so well done they seem to have been re-invented for this movie. In lesser hands: stereotypes, cliches and schmaltz. In Spielberg's: well-rounded characters, genuine drama and real emotions. The only problem is that the opening scene is so real and terrifying that it upstages the rest of the story. (10/10 - easily).