Just a Hollywood war flick

Rating: 5/10 (1 October 2002)

The technical aspects of "Saving Private Ryan" (effects, scenery,... ) have been done in a really good way. But unfortunately, that's the only good thing to say about the movie.
*spoilers ahead*
The movie can be divided into two parts: The landing at Omaha Beach, and the mission to save Private Ryan.
The landing is by far the better part. And yet it fails: The watcher doesn't get involved into the (technically perfect) action on the screen. Men are mowed down by machine gun fire, and you couldn't care less. And a war movie that doesn't make the watcher feel the cruelty of war is a failure...
After the landing, things become worse:

The entire premise of the second part (saving a Private who's three brothers died) is pathetic - and it's even presented in a even more pathetic way.

The main characters are faceless (only Tom Hanks' and Jeremy Davies' roles got some profile), and you don't really care about them.

The 'enemy' is not only faceless, too. He's also dumb. His only purpose in the film is to mindlessly rush forward to be gunned down by G.I.s. (making all the fighting feel fake)

Too many 'coincidences' that pull the movie along (Ryan is just where he's most needed, the bridge get's blown away 'at the last moment possible',...)

The film is predictable, making a lot of the 'search' for Private Ryan pointless and the discussions about the mission pointless (Private Ryan is not dead, as anybody expects anyway. No, he did not return to base. Yes, he's fighting the Germans. No, he won't leave his comrades. Yes, the rescue team stays to man the defense.)

It has all elements of a Hollywood movie (except the love scene): a main character that proves worthy, a main character that dies for what he believes in, a man that proves manhood by killing for the first time, the American flag at the end (and everywhere else), the treacherous bad guy...

*end of spoilers*
Conclusion: It's your 08/15 American feel good war movie. Don't expect anything more... (If you want something more 'real' watch "Full Metal Jacket", "Platoon" or "Apocalypse Now")