very good war film but...

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2002)

I saw this movie again last night as a dutch network premiere. I have to say it strengthened my impression after my first viewing some years ago. As war films get, it's one of the best, most realistic and exciting there are. And yet, I don't really understand the big deal that people sometimes make of war films. In my opinion, they shouldn't always by revered as "important" films, or be taken with dead-seriousity. After all, no matter how realistic, they are made for entertainment value and little more. This is a movie that has terrific, bloody action, a realistic setting, superb cinematography and production design, well-developed characters, and some emotional moments. But people, is it really anything more than that? It is certainly not a lesson in history. Did private Ryan or captain Miller ever really exist? No. In Spielberg's SCHINDLER'S LIST, an obviously superior film, many of the characters shown really did exist. But SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is really just a work of fiction, crafted to manipulate and excite the viewer. I'm not saying that there are major historical innacuracies in it, since I'm not a historian, I'm just saying that it is in no way an extraordinary or transcendental movie experience. It is also far from Spielberg's most accomplished work. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, E.T., and JAWS are all clearly on a much higher level, as they all transcend their genres and become something truly extraordinary. PRIVATE RYAN may be a very good war film, but lacks that extra bit of magic to make it truly extraordinary and a masterpiece in ever regard. Like so many war film, it doesn't truly leave an indelible impact on the viewer. And this is a member of the war film genre in every bone of its body. It doesn't surpass films like PLATOON, FULL METAL JACKET, APOCALYPSE NOW, as the Ultimate War Movie. If you want to see a true masterpiece, a film that is truly unforgettable and extraordinary, don't look for it among the war movies, trust me. See 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. See THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. See RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Those are genuinely extraordinary pictures that transcend the limitations of their genres and bury themselves into your subconscious, never leaving your memories. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, as well as every other war film ever made, can't possibly have that resonance.