The best war film ever

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2005)

Possibly the best war movie ever, both in terms of story and visuals. No other war film has managed to convey the constant hell that was World War II whilst at the same time illustrating the bonds of comradeship between soldiers quite so effectively and movingly. The film manages to be realistically graphic in its depiction of war and its associated death and injuries, without being gratuitous with the claret. No punches are pulled.
The story opens with the D-Day landings on Omaha beach, filmed with brutal realism, and then moves on to the mission of eight men who go behind enemy lines to rescue one man. Each of the men begin to question their orders, their place in the war, and the cost to their humanity.
The film won countless awards for its realism and its harrowing story, including Steven Spielberg garnering the Best Director Oscar. At the same time however it never tries to present itself as historical fact, rather a historical scenario with a fictional story placed on top. The main mission may be fictional, but the sub-plots (such as the importance of defending the bridge) are definitely based on fact. Tom Hanks is superb as Captain Miller, the man assigned to lead the retrieval unit sent behind enemy lines. Ed Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel all provide competent performances as brothers-in-arms, and Tom Sizemore is (unusually) the rather understated Sergeant. The men form a strong bond (a bond between men which would Spielberg would explore further with his Band of Brothers mini-series) whilst undergoing a dehumanization process with regards to their enemy. Matt Damon has little more than a cameo as the eponymous Ryan. The film is both moving and gripping, and the 150-minute running time is barely felt, such is the intensity the subject matter is dealt with. Further, such was the impact of the film that several scenes (in particular the storming of Normandy beach) were almost shot-for-shot recreated in the computer game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The apparent waste of resources on this rescue mission (a waste which is highlighted and questioned by the soldiers in the chosen unit) is not only a poignant story but also serves to highlight the sheer frustration of the waste and pointlessness of war in general. Together with Schindler's list, Steven Spielberg has created two films which are probably the finest monument to the Second World War and its atrocities of modern times, and with these also cements his place as the finest director of his generation.