Perfection

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2004)

Saving Private Ryan, a film that covers material that has been both harnessed and flauntered, is a rarity. Ryan, as a jarring, gripping war film manages to address and touch nine of the ten human emotions without losing site of the story. The film grabs you off the screen, as Tom Hanks plays the captain of a platoon, which, as noble, brave, and righteous as they may be, are nonetheless a band of young men. Capt. Jon Miller embodies the man whom we all would want to be - a courageous leader of men who has earned the respect of his subordinates - without blurring the fact that he is a man - one with a life outside such a hideous display of humanity. Very rare are movies where we follow a group of people and feel like we have gotten to know each and every one by the end - at least to the degree which the excellent script permits.