He's OK, We're OK

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2004)

Is it my excess of cynicism or my tradition of dislike for anything Spielberg (or are they the same thing?) that leads me to wonder why there's so much hype about Saving Private Ryan?
Sure the battle scenes are grippingly shot, but not more so than Oliver Stone's 'Platoon' was more than a few years back, and more annoyingly for all the MTV camera tricks, like strobing and tacky colors out of old Life magazines. Sure the sets and scenes are done up perfectly, with lots of expert consultants on hand, just as in Schindler's List, which seems to be the WWII partner movie to this one. (Must be another one on the way; Stone had three on Vietnam.) And sure the cast delivers up solid performances, led by Tom Hanks who breaks as far out of his light comic mold as his very respectable talents allow.
But you can't forget it's Spielberg. The assault on Normandy is the meat of the story, just as the concentration camps were in 'Schindler.' But again, Spielberg can't just tell it. He make a sandwich, wrapping the meat with his specialty: white bread. As in 'Schindler', present-day survivors -- in modern color -- visit the graves of the dead who so bravely gave, or at least risked, their lives that others might live. In case your head is impervious to Spielberg's hammer, the deal is that the living owe it to the dead to prove they deserve the gifts of life and liberty.
Get it? We owe it (BANG) to the greatest generation to be "good people" (BANG). That's right, because (BANG) we are Private Ryan! (BANG BANG BANG)
Of course Spielberg being Spielberg, he leaves us with a reassurance rather than a challenge. Based on his wife's affidavit and his family's all-American good looks, our avatar turns out to be well-deserving.
And so are we all, everyone! Now we can sink back into our smug torpor.