Review of Saving Private Ryan (1998) by Halfwelshman — 16 Nov 2011

Saving Private Ryan is one of the most fulfilling experiences you can have watching a film. It's utterly absorbing, often heartbreaking and always thoughtful. This isn't just another American war film filled with square-jawed jingoistic action men belting out cliched soundbites.

Saving Private Ryan honours the fallen, and acknowledges the unimaginable sacrifice they made. The characters Spielberg and writer Robert Rodat have developed don't feel like works of fiction, they are believably ordinary Americans who have chosen to fight for their country.

Whilst the uncompromisingly brutal, horrifically intense and realistic battle scenes are what tend to get the film the most attention (particularly the now infamous, nearly half-hour long Omaha Beach battle) it is the quieter, more reserved moments of the film that truly stand out.

Of particular note are the scene taking place in an abandoned church, where, taking shelter for the night, each of the soldiers debate the inhumanity of war, and the light-hearted chat that Miller and Ryan have prior to the final battle.

The former is an exceedingly dark and psychoanalytical study, the latter a welcome moment of light-heartedness in an exceedingly depressing film, both are exceptional moments for character. Technically, the film is nigh-on flawless.

The entire cast's performances, again are hard to fault. With a quite-rightly Oscar-nominated script and a heart-wrenchingly emotional score by John Williams, Saving Private Ryan approaches cinematic perfection.

But even considering all these factors, the film's real achievement is the way in which it handles war, not as a spectacle or an excuse for a string of set-pieces as would be the case in a lesser movie, but as the horrific and pointless act it really is.

The characters may be fictional, but they represent real men who really lost their lives during World War II, and the film acknowledges that fact. Saving Private Ryan is not only Spielberg's masterpiece, but quite possibly the greatest war film of all time.