Epic in Every Sense

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2011)

Seeing this movie at home does not do it justice. I remember being speechless and overcome with emotion at the end of the Omaha Beach landing. It was such a spectacle to see on the big screen at the cinema that I went to watch it on back-to-back nights. Spielberg does a fantastic job of putting you right in the middle of one of the most remembered and heroic days in American history. Those who do not have an appreciation for our fighting forces and the freedom they have provided us with will undoubtedly change their tune after the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan.
Saving Private Ryan is truly one of the best movies of the past 25 years. At the time, I did not think Tom Hanks could pull off the leading role in this movie. I was dead wrong. Hanks' brings a human element to the movie, which makes it work. Cast anyone else in the role of Captain Miller and I doubt the movie would have succeeded the way it did.
I am not one to shed a tear during movies, but this one made me cry several times. Can you, as parents, imagine what it would be like to find out you lost a loved one during wartime? Well, Spielberg shows that when Ryan's mother crumbles to the ground at the sight of a priest coming to her door. What about the older James Francis Ryan dropping to his knees at the sight of Private Miller's grave? Asking his wife if he lived up to what Miller and his crew did for him? This is emotional stuff and at the very core of being a good human being. One who looks out and cares for others.
The ensemble cast of this movie is fantastic. Each brings something different to the table and it works because Spielberg allows you to engage and relate with each character. Between battle sequences, you learn a little about each character, where they are from and who they are. This is what film making is about and there is none better than Steven Spielberg.
I could go on and on about this movie, but I won't. I would suggest that everyone watch this movie and become more enlightened about the horrors of war, how it affects those within it and how these warriors share a common bond, ultimately making them brothers in arms.