The second best anti-war movie ever made.

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 1998)

Spielberg has once again proved himself to be a true master of his chosen profession. The attention given to minute detail and photography is simply outstanding. Technically brilliant, the film strikes at every man's primal fears when faced with danger. The themes of heroism, cowardice, loyalty, existentialism and redemption are beautifully woven into a fictional story revolving around the finding of one man, namely Pvt. Ryan. But realistic (awesome, I may say) battle scenes aside, I still say it is not the best war film ever made. Still sitting upon that mantle is "All Quiet on the Western Front." For better or worse, "Pvt. Ryan" does not take a holistic view of war as it affected all sections of society. Of course, it may have not been intention to do so, and the films certainly have a different focus. But for depth of story, "Quiet" is unparalleled for content. All that aside, "Pvt. Ryan" is still tied, along with "Schindler's List" for the honor of the most important movies of the past two decades. In my opinion "Pvt. Ryan" is to war films as "2001" is to sci-fi films. As an ex-Marine I was forced to think about the 12 landings my grandfather made during WWII against the Japanese. Did he go through hell? Did he think about the meaning of bravery and honor? Or did he shake and cry, and pray to God for forgiveness and hope for a better life for all? Go see "Pvt. Ryan" and allow your mind to wonder and explore the meaning of humanity. If you come away unmoved, then you're not human.