Definitely one of the best war movies of our time

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2002)

I saw this on the big screen on opening day. While the show before mine was clearing out, I saw a guy I knew coming out, his face a mask of dried tears. He's not the kind of guy who cries for anything, so I figured that I was in for something I might not be able to handle. I went in and sat down, shivering with anticipation. The movie starts with an old man in a military cemetery breaking down at the sight of the hundreds of crosses marking the graves of his fallen comrades. I was already near tears by this point. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the infamous twenty-five minutes of the Omaha Beach landing hit me with the force of a speeding plane crash. To put it mildly, I have seen enough violent movies in my time to say I've been pretty much desensitized to violence, even though the occasional violent, gory scene can still get me on occasion. While watching the beginning of this film, I remember thinking at one point, 'This has to stop. Please God, make it stop.'. The rest of the movie doesn't stray too far from the in-your-face style of the first minutes and when all is said and done, you walk away realizing that Spielberg, no matter what his detractors may say, is indeed a genius. I consider this movie to be the reason I wanted to get back into filmmaking after dropping out of film school. This movie makes its points and makes you question the validity of the senseless slaughter of so many innocent lives in the face of war, no matter what side of the fence you speak of. I never gave the WW2 vets a second thought until I saw this movie. Now I think of them and their hardships, especially around Memorial Day. The cinematography here ranks among the best I have ever seen. John Williams score is phenomenal and if you don't believe me, listen to the very last piece of music played over the end credits. It is an incredible piece that can only be described as beautifully patriotic. All of the performances in this film were spot on, though it did jar me a little to see Ted Danson pop up out of nowhere with a smoking machine gun in hand. I cannot recommend this movie enough, though I'd suggest that anyone unnerved by extremely realistic, and at times sadistic, violence should avoid this because it's pretty upsetting. I can only say that like my friend, I walked out of the theater a sobbing wreck. On my way out, I noticed that there were many vets in the audience. Many of them were crying on the shoulders of their wives, who were busy consoling them. Along with the film as a whole, it was a sight I am sure I will never forget. Rating: ***** out of *****.