No war film can be 'too realistic'....

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 1998)

Wow. One word that sums up the whole film. I was totally blown away with it. Steven Spielberg did such a fantastic job with 'Saving Private Ryan', furthur boosted by one of the strongest and best performances in Tom Hanks' career. For those of you who manage to sit through the first twenty-five minutes of carnage, you will be totally blown away by what one can easily call, 'the greatest war movie of all time'. I was in awe of the feat Steven Spielberg has accomplished. Some may place it alongside 'Schindler's List' as his greatest achievement. Me, I rate it higher.
Seeing the film in a cinema, with surround sound, places the audience in the middle of the D-Day Invasion. Gruesome as it may be, the opening scene may well be looked upon in the future as one of the most memorable and impacting scenes in cinematic history. With strong back-up performances from the relatively young supporting cast, 'Saving Private Ryan' will no doubt go into the 1999 Academy Awards as favourite to take the honours in several main categories, including best actor (Hanks), best director (Spielberg), and best picture.
It has opened the door to reality. The public can finally see what war was really like. Frightening. Some veterans have received counselling after seeing the movie. But finally we have a realistic war film. 'Rambo', 'Apocalypse Now', 'The Deer Hunter'. None of the myths of war these films have created. 'Platoon' is the only realistic war film in recent memory. Yes, they are all Vietnam movies. But give me an example of a decent World War II movie. Alongside, or even above, 'Das Boot', 'Saving Private Ryan' is a classic World War II film. A modern classic. No more, no less. Congratulations to Steven Spielberg on such a fine effort.