Highly overrated

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 1999)

First let me start with this comment, Ryan is not the greatest war film ever made.Not even close.It is however a very moving and affronting action film.It is a great homage to all those older world war 2 films and to other war films of different conflicts.I say action film because it makes no attempt to explain war or focus on issues other than to shock us with its brutality in the opening 20 minutes..that is what jarred me..the first twenty minutes represented what the film should have been...The middle section were what it was..a sentimental cliched journey through old war pictures...sure it was the goriest but Hamburger hill,platoon and dear America:letters home from Vietnam take the cake for the best accounts of war and social,poltical atttudes towards it.Also watch deer hunter for a powerful look at the effect of war on the common soldier..the only thing that saved ryan from being an average film for me was the excellent performances and the handling of the jeremy davies character..who thankfully was saved fro ma cliched ending.apart from that..this poorly written,sloppily(in parts,like hanks giving a tearful speech when his men gather behind him scene)directed yet wonderfully shot(as always by januz kaminiski)film was little more than a sentiemental entertaining romp through old war films. discounting the brutal opening scenes. p.s..can't wait to see how mallick handles it in the thin red line.