Review: Saving Private Ryan (1998) Rated `R' A Review by Ryan Davis
I have sat through endless history classes where the teacher attempts to explain to the class what went on during WWII. But all those years of talk didn't teach me anything about what happened, although in about three hours, Spielberg showed me all. `Saving Private Ryan' reveals all the courage, hardship, and sacrifice that kept our country free.
Tom Hanks plays Captain John Miller, who is assigned to lead a small group of men through enemy territory to find Private Ryan (Matt Damon). Ryan's three brothers have all been killed in action and the Army doesn't want their mother to lose all of her sons.
Miller's crew consists of a number of extremely well acted and memorable characters, which range from a bible-quoting sniper to a cowardly translator, with lots of interesting people in between. The most fully developed character in the group is Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies), a mapmaker and translator, who is made to join the crew because he can speak French and German. He doesn't want to be there and has never been in an actual combat situation before.
The first twenty-five minutes are incredibly brilliant. The battle scenes are like nothing I have ever seen before. You feel as if you are in the war; the camera acts just like a soldier and crawls along with the company as it makes its way up the beach. All the battle scenes are breathtaking and very realistic.
The acting is marvelous. The whole ensemble is entirely outstanding. Tom Hanks gives the best performance of his career, his first truly Oscar worthy role. Everything else is extraordinary too: Cinematography, sets, special effects, and costumes. `Saving Private Ryan' is one of the finest and most powerful films of the year. It was re-released in February in time for Oscar nominations on Tuesday, February 9th. If you missed it the first time around catch this war masterpiece now in theaters.
Grade: A+
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