This is not your grandfather's war movie. You know, all those John Wayne movies where people die but little blood is seen. This movie not only shows the blood, it exploits it. The gore scenes are to this film, what the nude scenes were to Basic Instinct. The first 20 minutes of the D-Day landing is a grotesque piece of art. You want to look away from the carnage but you're too amazed to turn your head. To me the hardest scene to watch is where the German slowly stabs Adam Goldberg's character.

Tom Hanks does an incredible job. His performance is moving and extremely heartfelt.

The scene where he talks to Matt Damon about his wife is particularly strong. This same scene is the one and only one that Matt Damon actually appears natural, talking about his brothers. In the rest of the movie Matt's acting is flat, and dull. The rest of the cast is very good. Especially Jeremy Davies and his scene on the stairs.

Patrick
Saving Private Ryan is for the most part a well made sentimental movie about W.W.II. The actors, led by a very likable Tom Hanks, do a fine job of interpreting their roles. Big stars appear in cameos against the war torn cyber background as Steven Spielberg does his utmost to convince us that this film is as important as Schindler's List. He almost pulls it off, at least for the first 45 minutes, about which enough has been written. Here you're not simply watching a movie you're storming Normandy.

The plot is simple, a squadron of soldiers must risk their lives in the French countryside in order to find Private Ryan. The only surviving son of a woman who has just seen his 3 brothers killed in action.

One by one, we are introduced to these men as they battle through the hell of modern warfare. By far the most enjoyable section of the movie is the quest for Ryan. Once he is found this becomes a stereotypical war movie where of course the key bridge is saved just in the nick of time.

And what the hell was Spielberg thinking with those ridiculously sappy prologue and epilogue scenes at the veterans cemetery?

All in all a remarkable and yet very uneven film.

Scott
Many people were surprised when Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for Best Picture instead of Saving Private Ryan. Myself among them. I was also delighted. Saving Private Ryan received the most unwarranted hype since.. let's see.. oh yeah, Schindler's List.

Oh sure, the opening invasion scene is amazing. So amazing in fact, that there is no way to top it. And Spielberg doesn't even try. Despite the extra bit of blood and gore, this is your Grandfather's war movie, with the same bunch of GI's that have been bouncing around in Hollywood war movies since the Marine's raised their flag on Iwajima.

Instead of opening the movie with D-day, why not end the movie with the invasion? Because once that is over, you might as well stop watching. The climax of the movie is already over.

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