Riveting, suspenseful, dramatic, powerful, elegant, truthful! 2 thumbs up by me

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 1999)

Saving Private Ryan is one of the best war movies that I have ever seen. From the opening scenes on D-Day to the finale at American bridgehead, the movie never lost a beat in its portrayal of the American fighting men. What I liked about the movie was its simplicity of message. It attempts to historically document a time in history without much of the underlying political messages. Men did not fight for honor or courage like some of Hollywood's creations would lead us to believe. They did not fight to purposely crush the enemy or defeat Hitler. GI's fought for themselves and the survival of their fellow men. Saving Private Ryan also dispelled many of the myths of war. Anyone who thinks war is glorious and glamorous needs to experience Spielberg's masterpiece. War is not fun; it is hell, and Spielberg conveyed that message very clearly in the opening battle scenes. Men were being machine-gunned without knowing what had happened to them. Yet there were moments in the movie where I felt that I had forgotten about the war. For example, before the final battle scene at the bridgehead, American GI's were swapping back and forth stories about the homefront. War definitely has moments of comradeship as portrayed by Spielberg. Overall, it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Steven Spielberg creates yet another masterpiece. I loved the movie and would recommend it to anyone (except small children, of course).