Good, but not the best

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2002)

Saving Private Ryan was a very good war film, but not a scratch on the Great Escape. The film follows the story of Private James Francis Ryan, whose brothers have been killed during the war. We follow Captain John Miller and his team accross France looking for Ryan, who is to be returned home. Throughout the movie thee are many refernces the Easy Company and th 101st Airborn, on which Band of Brothers mini series was based.
I really enjoyed this film, mainly because of the action involved but mostly because of the strong cast. Tom Hanks' performance was superb.
The Great Escape was definately the best war film I've ever seen, and is so much better than Ryan because of its superior cast, script and action. The first 15 mins of Ryan is extremely gory, which will entertain some people. Band Of Brothers is just as good as Saving Private Ryan, and there are countless similarities between the two.
Overall, Saving Private Ryan was a very good film by Steven Spielberg, with excellent performances from the likes of Tom Hanks, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg and Matt Damon. However, this does not make it the greatest war film ever made. For that, I believe, you should look at The Great Escape.