Review of Saving Private Ryan (1998) by Tristan M — 08 Aug 2014

The movie that seperates the classics from the new, and does it in the most amazing way. Opening with the outstanding D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France starts this movie off in a great way, that is hard to watch at times due to its incredible intensity.

Two other 1998 war movies, The Thin Red Line and When Trumpets Fade, both good movies, are simply put to shame by it. The blood, gore, and sound effects are the most realistic I've seen, the sound effects alone without the video is enough for the movies R rating.

The screaming, pinging, splashing, swearing and rattling are unforgettable. After that the rest of the movie is just as good, the plot is perfect, and with only 9 main characters you get to know them well and get attached to them easily.

Every time one is killed it is really felt, especially the time Medic Wade dies of a shrapnel wound, and Jackson is blown up. In one particularly brutal and hard to watch scene Mellish and a German soldier fight it out hand to hand, biting and punching each other till a knife is brought out and Mellish is slowly stabbed.

I hate seeing the characters killed, and each death was felt by both me and the movie characters. Anyway the movie was amazing, well done and overall the perfect war movie. Not overly heroic, or romantic, or unbelievable in anyway, and the realistic jokes and humor of some of the characters is well placed and doesn't get in the way of any of the serious stuff.

So great movie, problably my second all time favorite movie, and number 1 on my top 15 favorite war movie list. Well done Spielberg!