Saving Private Ryan has outstanding battle sequences, but little else to add

Rating: Null/10 (15 December 1999)

Steven Spielberg received rave reviews last year when his movie Saving Private Ryan made it to the multiplexes in the United States and Europe.
Because of this my expectations where quite high, although I had some fears that the director best known for movies like JAWS, E.T. and more recently Jurassic Park would lack the skill of making the transition from pure entertainment into serious drama. To be fair Saving Private Ryan is not his first stab at serious movie-making. Spielberg directed the excellent Schindlers List in 1993.
Sadly when I went to see Saving Private Ryan last fall my high expectations where proved wrong. The only thing that makes this film stand out compared to other war-movies are the much talked about battle-sequences which are outstanding in conveying the brutality of war.
But a movie of this magnitude can not stand on battle sequences alone. It needs substance and Saving Private lacks it all. The characters are only mildly interesting. You do not care about their plight and ordeal. When not fighting for their lives they engage in a quasi-philosophical discussion about the validity of their mission. Is it right to sacrifice a handful of soldiers with the purpose of rescuing one man?(Private Ryan) The question is an intriguing one but it takes up too much time at the expense of character-development.
We don't really get to know their motives, their fears and what makes them happy. This is what separates good movies from bad ones. To me this is just another action-movie but with little else to add.
It seems to me that the movies which are made today emphasizes style and action at the expense of real substance. One of the reasons for the excellent reviews it has received must be that the public and critics alike where overwhelmed by the outstanding battle sequences and it's realistic depiction of gore in 20th century combat. But as I have said earlier that does not necessarily make for a compelling movie.
For those of you who share my opinion with the respect of this movie I highly recommend Das Boot by Wolfgang Petersen , The Iron Cross by Sam Peckinpah and Paths of Glory by Stanely Kubrick. All in their own right superb movies that in every respect are better than Saving Private Ryan with the exception of the battle-sequences.