One of the Best WWII Movies

Rating: 9/10 (17 March 2009)

Simply put, this is a flawless war movie. Spielberg created a set that looks like the actual French battlefield of World War II. The beginning of the movie shows the Allied invasion of Normandy Beach on D-Day, and it is very hard to watch. Men die and are reduced to gory heaps in the first seconds of battle. People who are expecting a Chuck Norris war movie with a few US soldiers killing hundreds of comical Nazis are going to be surprised. The film has a fantastic ensemble cast - up there with films such as Heat and Tombstone. All supporting actors are given believable characters. No one appears to utter a one-liner and is never seen again. Movie buffs will find themselves saying, "Hey, I know that guy!", but it never detracts from the immersion. This is a heavily pro-American film. It makes little effort to characterize the German soldiers, but none is needed. Overall, this is my favorite film from 1998, and one of my favorite war movies.