Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

Director: Steven Spielberg

Year: 1998

Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper and Vin Diesel

     Saving Private Ryan was the first war movie I remember watching, so it's natural I kick off the month with this one. The film's popularity has made it something of a quintessential World War II movie, and it deserves that title. While there have been many World War II movies before, and there have been a few since, this one definitely stands out. 

     Tom Hanks plays Capatin Miller, a United States Ranger tasked with finding one specific soldier, the namesake Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon) and making sure he gets home safe. 

The film opens with the D-Day landing at Omaha beach, and like any opening scene, it grabs you. The tension builds as you wait with the soldiers themselves as they wait for the unprecedented landing on the beach. The second those platforms drop, it's nothing but a massacre. Soldiers drop like flies as the main characters struggle to survive the onslaught. What makes this opening scene effective is the main characters we will eventually follow on this mission are slowly introduced one by one, and we get a sense of who they are before they finally meet up on the beach. When the invasion is over, the main unit of character is already established and as the viewer, you already feel like you know them. 

     Tom Hanks gives one of the best performances of his career as Captain Miller. Unlike his other roles he's had in the past, this character is very mysterious. It's a running gag that his soldiers don't know anything about him, and even have a large bet going on to entice them to find out anything they can. It's effective because the image of his character is built up until he finally opens up to his squad, and it shows that looks can be deceiving. Hank's talent takes center stage during these scenes, as you actually feel like there is a real character coming out, but at the same time you feel a little disappointed, as your perceived image of him was not what you expected.  

     The end battle scene is the biggest standout in the film. It's not enough that Miller and his squad lost two men and almost tore themselves apart finding Private Ryan, but now they have to fend off an entire German platoon. The set pieces and battle sequences are fantastic, with some editing that blends one scene into the next, creating an almost seamless experience. 

     All in all, Saving Private Ryan is one of the last great films about World War II. Around this time, World War II films kind of fell out of style, and while some would be made in the coming years, very few would reach the popularity of this one in particular. It may be an over-glamorized Hollywood war movie, but it's one that deserves a spot as a classic.