With Private Ryan the object is to put you in a place no sane person would choose to go. And it does.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:91
Fresh:82
Rotten:9
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Hanks, Spielberg's unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.
Runtime: 2 hrs 49 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Steven Spielberg's World War II tour de force chronicles the journey of a GI squad on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the unit is under... Director Steven Spielberg's World War II tour de force chronicles the journey of a GI squad on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the unit is under orders to track down a soldier, Private Ryan (Matt Damon), so he might return home to his mother in America, where she is grieving the unimaginable loss of her three other sons to the war. The first unforgettable 20 minutes of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN realistically and horrifically depicts the Normandy invasion as Miller. his second-in-command, Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore), and the others in the unit land at Omaha Beach. Before the film began shooting, Hanks and the actors in his squad went through a one-week boot camp in the woods. All the actors, except Hanks, wanted to quit, but Hanks rallied their spirits by reminding them of the incredible tribulations endured by the real veterans of World War II. Production designer Tom Sanders found a beach in Ireland that perfectly matched the landscape of Normandy's. Spielberg gave great credit to the Irish army who helped re-create the Omaha Beach scenes. [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Edward Burns
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Giovanni Ribisi, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Harve Presnell, Bryan Cranston
Director: Steven Spielberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Robert Rodat
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn
Composer: John Williams
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Reviews for Saving Private Ryan
A war film that, entirely aware of its genre's conventions, transcends them as it transcends the simplistic moralities that inform its predecessors, to take the high, morally haunting ground.
It is the battle scenes, which burn in your mind for days afterwards, that distinguish this film.
As compelling, intimate and brutally realistic an account of men at war as you’ve ever seen.
Spielberg has done and said a lot more about war in this film than any other film in history ever has.
What ultimately sets Saving Private Ryan apart from its golden age lineage, however, is its unflinchingly brutal depiction of the horrors of war as seen from a foot soldier's perspective.
This picture attempts to bring about a fuller understanding of sacrifice on the battlefield and in that respect it is a moving and dignified salute to the fallen.
The word that springs to mind is 'intense', but that is an understating insult.
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