Saving Private Ryan

*Saving Private Ryan* is a 1998 epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat.

## Synopsis

An elderly veteran walks through a cemetery, accompanied by his family. Coming to a specific grave, he is overcome with emotion and begins recalling his time as a soldier. On the morning of June 6, 1944, the U.S. Army lands at Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy invasion. Captain John H. Miller leads his command, Company C, 2nd Ranger Battalion in a breakout from the beach. The staff at the United States Department of War in Washington, D.C. learns that James Francis Ryan of the 101st Airborne Division is missing and presumed to be the last survivor of four brothers who are all in the military. General George C. Marshall orders Ryan to be found and sent home so that his family will not lose all its sons.

Miller is ordered to lead a detachment in finding Ryan. As they arrive in the contested town of Neuville between German defenders and the 101st Airborne, Caparzo is killed by a German sniper. Miller and his men find a paratrooper named Ryan but not the one for whom they are searching, and are directed to a rally point where James Francis Ryan's unit should be. Miller learns that Ryan is defending a key bridge in the town of Ramelle. *En route* to Ramelle, Miller decides against the judgment of his soldiers to neutralize a German machine gun nest, which results in Wade's death. A surviving German soldier is spared by the intervention of Upham, the detachment's interpreter, who is unused to the horrors of combat. Miller blindfolds the soldier, who has been nicknamed "Steamboat Willie", and orders him to surrender to the next Allied patrol. When Reiben threatens to desert, Miller defuses the situation by calmly telling a story that reveals his civilian background as a teacher and baseball coach, which he has not previously spoken of, and which has been the subject of much speculation among his men.

Upon arriving in Ramelle, Miller's detachment makes contact with Ryan and informs him of his brothers' deaths. Though upset, Ryan refuses to abandon his post, which soon comes under siege by attacking Germans. Miller and his unit fight alongside the 101st as the German armor advantage takes a toll on the Americans. Jackson, Mellish and Horvath are killed in the fighting. In an attempt to destroy a bridge with pre-placed explosives, Miller is wounded by "Steamboat Willie." As the Germans approach the bridge, American P-51 Mustang fighter planes, Sherman tanks, and infantry overpower them and end their advance. Upham confronts Steamboat Willie, who begins to try talking Upham into letting him go; now aware of the difficult choices soldiers make during wartime, Upham shoots and kills him, but lets the rest of the German squad live.

Before dying from his wounds, Miller tells Ryan to "earn this," referring to the sacrifices others have made so Ryan can experience a post-war life. Ryan is revealed to be the elderly veteran from the beginning of the film and the grave to be Miller's. Ryan expresses gratitude for the sacrifices made by Miller and his men and says he hopes he "earned it," then salutes Miller's gravestone.

## Cast

* Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller
* Edward Burns as Private First Class Richard Reiben
* Matt Damon as Private First Class James Francis Ryan
	+ Harrison Young as Elderly James Ryan
* Tom Sizemore as Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath
* Jeremy Davies as Corporal Timothy Upham
* Vin Diesel as Private First Class Adrian Caparzo
* Adam Goldberg as Private Stanley "Fish" Mellish
* Barry Pepper as Private Daniel Jackson
* Giovanni Ribisi as T/4 Medic Irwin Wade
* Dennis Farina as Lieutenant Colonel Walter Anderson
* Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill
* Harve Presnell as General George Marshall
* Bryan Cranston as War Department Colonel
* David Wohl as War Department Captain
* Nathan Fillion as Minnesota Ryan (Pvt. James Frederick Ryan)
* Paul Giamatti as Sergeant William Hill
* Ryan Hurst as Paratrooper Mandelsohn
* Max Martini as Corporal Henderson
* Leland Orser as Lieutenant DeWindt
* Joerg Stadler as Steamboat Willie
* Dylan Bruno as Corporal Toynbe
* Demetri Goritsas as Parker
* Rolf Saxon as Lieutenant Briggs
* Corey Johnson as Radioman Mackey
* John Sharian as Corporal Loeb
* Glenn Wrage as Boyle
* Stéphane Cornicard as Jean
* Dale Dye as War Department Colonel
* Amanda Boxer as Margaret Ryan
* Kathleen Byron as Elderly Mrs. Ryan
* Andrew Scott as Soldier on the Beach
* Erich Redman as German #1