Mastepiece

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2011)

Steven Spielberg has created another masterpiece along with his famous Schindler's List. It can speak for itself with all the Academy Awards it won such as Best Director, and multiple nominations like Tom Hanks for Best Actor. This movie released in 1998 is ahead of its time. After watching it, I considered it to be an instant American classic.
The movie starts off in modern day with a family walking with their elderly veteran of World War II in a Memorial Cemetery. They follow him to a grave labeled Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) where he breaks down and begins to cry. The story then flashes back to 1994 following Tom Hanks as he storms Normandy Beach on D-Day.
If you want to see a movie that reals you in right away in the first 30 minutes, then Saving Private Ryan is that movie. The first half hour of this movie are the U.S troops storming Omaha Beach in Normandy, and I believe this is the best war action sequence of all time. It is shockingly intense as it portrays the horrific realism of war at its finest. It really makes your stomach weak when it gives Tom Hanks point of view where he sees men literally trying to survive the onslaught American Soldiers. After the first 30 minutes, the story then goes on to tell how Captain John H. Miller and seven other men must search for a paratrooper, James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last surviving brother of 4 who served in the U.S. Army. The opening Omaha Beach scene reveals the death of the other 3 brothers who were killed in action.
The morale of all these men are at an all-time low after watching their fellow soldiers being slaughtered on Omaha beach. To make things even harder for them, they are now chosen to go on a dreadful mission that increases the chances of losing their lives. The possibility of finding Private James Francis Ryan is almost impossible or as Miller says, it's like finding "a needle in a stack of needles". All of the men have seen combat before except one, Upham, who is just a translator. They all have an internal conflict of why they have to put their lives on the line to save someone they don't even know is even alive.
The movie is based off a flashback of a World War II veteran. The movie has the ability to suck you and make you feel as if you are in the battle yourself because of its realism due to sound and special effects of machine guns, grenades, army tanks, and explosions. What makes the movie so intense that there is no music throughout the story. Music is usually used to set the tone of a scene or hint things to the viewer. Adding no music to the story gives the viewer a hellish and gloom feeling for the characters. The only music is nondiegetic and is played before and after the flashback of James Francis Ryan. It is a brutal movie, yet that is what makes it so satisfying.
This movie would not be what it is if the lead role was not performed by Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks has the credentials after winning multiple academies for Best Actor in Philadelphia and Forest Gump and was nominated for Best Actor in this movie. He plays the role of a humble captain leading seven men on a nearly impossible mission. He does an amazing job displaying fear with his actions such as shaky hands before battle, and then shows great poise during battle. He still keeps in mind that the only way back to his wife is to find Private Ryan. The supporting cast does their job to create an epic movie, but do not nearly do as well as job as Tom Hanks. Edward Burns' Reiben, who appears to be one of Miller's best men in the film who uses pessimistic humor to cover up his doubts of the mission at hand. Jeremy Davies who plays as Upham, creates a character who will make you scream at his cowardice, but also makes it extremely believable and sympathetic because of the gruesomeness of war he witnesses. The climax of the movie is when Matt Damon, Private Ryan, is found. He plays his role very well as you feel compassion for the soldier after he hears the loss of his close brothers. There was only one little problem with the movie the movie although it still does not make the outcome any different about how I feel. When the men discover that Private James Francis Ryan was still alive, Private Ryan refuses to go home because it's unfair to the others. My grandfather was in the Korean War which was not even close to being as bad as World War II, and he left with no hesitation. My good friend told me his grandfather laughed at that scene because he said no man wanted to be there. If you talk to any war veteran they would say they would leave in a heartbeat. Especially in Private Ryan's case, he is the only remaining child in his family which should be motivation enough. However, one could depict it as commitment to military service or patriotism.
Usually when I watch an American war film, it is either an action film of heroism or of tragedy. This movie contains both and that is what makes it unique and compelling to watch. The plot of this film is amazing because of gripping realism. I still cannot describe the outstanding intensity of the battle scenes throughout the movie thanks to the Direction of Steven Spielberg. As the men travel through Europe, you may ask yourself throughout the movie, "Is one man's life worth the lives of eight others". The movie is a must see for audiences of age 17 and older.