Bleak, horrific, magnificent

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2007)

There are few movies in history that can deeply affect us and leave an undeniable emotional impression. This film is one such. I can remember exiting the theater on weak knees, not from sitting for so long, but from the emotional turmoil it caused.
Certainly an average Joe like myself who has never served in the military nor ever faced combat cannot truly fathom the horror of war. But since a number of WWII combat veterans who viewed the film were impressed by its realism, I can safely say that my feelings in leaving the theater were more than justified.
It's easy to criticize a war movie for being limited in scope, as Ryan was, but in my opinion it makes for a much more visceral, intense, and satisfying movie experience. Some films, like "Patton," "The Longest Day," "Midway," and a number of others have tried to better represent the monumental undertaking that was WWII. While I commend such efforts, the focus therein is too broad - one cannot appreciate the individual sacrifice and emotion involved, and it's easy to get lost in the numerous characters and distracted by the overall scope of the film.
Ryan focused not only on one theater of the war, but in one geographically small area. Additionally, it is seen through the eyes of a small squad of American soldiers. I would not have wanted it any other way.
Spielberg has outdone himself here, spotlighting his artistic range and re-affirming why he is one of the greatest of American film directors. Be warned - this is likely among the most intense war films of all time, and is not for the weak of stomach or heart.
But unlike many of the sanitized war movies of the past, this one gives us a taste, however small, of what must have been a truly terrifying and devastating experience.