Saving Private Ryan
by Robbo
Posted on 9 July 2021
Rating -
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat.
Based on a true story, the film is set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II.
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 Hanks) leads a breakout from the beach, overwhelming fierce German resistance. Meanwhile at the United States Department of War in Washington, D.C., it is learned that James Francis Ryan (Damon) of the 101st Airborne Division is the last of four brothers presumed alive but missing. General George C. Marshall orders Ryan to be found and sent home.
Miller soon receives orders to lead a unit (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, and Jeremy Davies) to find Ryan. Arriving in the contested town of Neuville between the German defenders and the 101st Airborne, it is learnt that Ryan is defending a key bridge in the fictional town of Ramelle. While assisting the 101st in Neuville, one of Miller’s men is shot by a German sniper and is killed in action.
En route to Ramelle, Miller decides against the judgement of his unit to neutralize a German machine gun nest, resulting in the loss of the unit’s Medic. A surviving German soldier’s life is spared by the intervention of Upham (Davies); Miller blindfolds the soldier and orders him to surrender himself to the next Allied patrol.
Soon arriving in Ramelle, the remaining unit make contact with Ryan and inform him of his brother’s deaths. Though upset by the news, Ryan refuses to abandon his current posting, which soon comes under siege by attacking German armour. Miller and his unit fight alongside the 101st though the German armour advantage soon starts to take its toll on the Americans.
The opening 20 minute assault on Omaha Beach is a brutal ballet, one of the most realistic depictions of war I have ever seen and is probably the best war film of it’s time, re-defining the genre.
After this, the pace of the film dips to a snail crawl of a character study, interspersed with some pretty good action sequences, but gets bogged down in sentiment.
Anchored by Tom Hanks the majority of the performances are good, my only criticism is Matt Damon who I find is wooden, one dimensional and annoying. I find that Private Ryan isn’t particularly likeable and don’t really care whether they save him or not.
It illustrates the absurdities that war throws up sometimes, the sacrifice of many lives to save just one.
Despite the small negative points I really do love this film and is on my top 10 list of all time.
Leave a Reply