Spielberg missed his chance to make a truly great war film.

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2001)

Contains Spoilers
Anyone who has not already seen the film might prefer to watch it before reading this review as, in order to make my point, I must discuss the ending.
Although the film contains one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen, the ultimate message and overall impact of the movie were drowned in a sacharine sea of contrived sentimentality and bathos. The one scene that was, of itself, worth the price of admission was the mesmerizing sequence in which one soldier bayonets another in a way that superbly contrasts the intimacy and immediacy of hand to hand combat with the indiscriminate and impersonal butchery of the Normandy landings, portrayed in the opening scenes. I was fascinated, appalled and riveted to the screen. I shall never forget it.
Unfortunately, by comparison, the rest of the film was a cop-out. I had recently watched the movie "Saviour" and found it a far more powerful statement about war and its impact on those caught up in it. Spielberg's movie could have been even better. He could have created a film that would haunt audiences for generations. Consider this simple twist -Ryan dies and Captain Miller lives. Now how do we feel about Ryan's decision to remain with his comrades? Was he being noble or foolhardy. What would be the difference? Was the Captain noble to disobey orders, or criminally negligent? If Miller is not conveniently taken care of by Fate, will the army punish him? Will he ultimately believe he did the right thing or will he wrestle forever with guilt? Would it somehow have been worse for Ryan to have escaped unscathed while his mates died? Did Ryan have the right to dictate his own actions? Does any soldier? Should they? Was the army hypocritical to place greater value upon the life of one individual within its ranks? What about parents with only one child to lose? Would their burden somehow be less? To who or to what does a man owe his greatest loyalty? Are there even answers to these questions? Maybe war just is Hell!!!
Maybe, but you'd never know it by Spielberg!