Soldiers leap over the sides and into the sea, but the machine gun bullets pierce the water and find their targets. Soon the waves are blood red. With little or no air support, the soldiers stand little chance. Director Steven Spielberg presents this violence with an unflinching attitude. The chaos on the beach is conveyed with an overpowering sense of despair and loss and confusion.
Bullets rip into helmets and soldiers crumble.
Bullets rip through long-dead soldiers. Bombs blow soldiers to pieces. For Spielberg, war isn't about heroic action, although Saving Private Ryan arguably contains several war heroes. Foremost, it's a movie about regular men and what they are capable of accomplishing in extraordinary times. They're tired, wet, and confused.