Both Great and Overrated, at the Same Time

Rating: 4/10 (29 January 2003)

Three brothers in the Ryan family, who have enlisted to fight in the US military in WWII, have been killed in various theaters of war. As the military prepares to notify the mother of the deaths of her three sons, they discover that there's a fourth brother - Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). A group of soldiers led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent to Northern Europe to find him, if he is still alive, and send him home. The film follows there long, hard trek to find this man, and then get him out.
This is a great film, like many of Spielberg's are, but I have to say, it is a bit overrated. There are many great war films, and I wouldn't quite but this one in the top five. Definetly the top ten, better than most war films, but not quite the top five.
The action scenes are groundbreaking; this was a first in what was considered acceptable in cinema. Spielberg only focuses on this, though. We see what the troops go through physically, but not mentally; every now and then, we get some strained expressions on their faces, but Spielberg never uses his proven film making skills to put you in these guys shoes, to let you know what they're thinking.
Consequently, we only get half the story. How can I put this in the top ten, then? Because the other half is just done so well. There are also good performances here - this is the only time I liked Vin Diesel. Remember, i'm not knocking this film - I put it in the top ten best war films ever made. Definetly a classic. I just think it's stretching it when people rave that this is the best war film ever. Don't let this fool you - buy a copy of this on DVD.