Greatest War Movie Ever

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 2001)

Spielberg set out to create a war movie unlike anything ever seen, and he succeeded brilliantly. The visual style puts you right there on Omaha Beach. The handheld cameras take away the clean, rehearsed feel that can hurt movies that need to rely on realism. I could go on all day about the film's first half hour- the D-day invasion... but everything the needs to be said about it has already been said. Suffice to say that it will leave you gasping for air. The story is fairly simple, but it works. Mostly, it exists for the purpose of developing each character further. Each character gets at least one moment to reveal himself, and to say something about the nature of men at war. It can seem a bit preachy at times, but it fits with the pull no punches, unapolagetic nature of the film. The acting is absolutely brilliant. A great ensemble with no weak individual performances (except possibly Edward Burns-playing the same wise-ass city boy he does in every movie). My personal favorite performance is that of Giavonni Ribisi. He brings very convincing honesty to every line he delivers. Anyway, this is one of those movies that everyone needs to see sometime. It sheds new light on one of the most important events in history, while telling a good story at the same time.