# Saving Private Ryan (1998)

### reviewed by
Ryan Ellis

                  A REVIEW OF "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN"
                           by Ryan Ellis

give me a buzz on the ol' e-lines, iluvmick@hotmail.com

Steven Spielberg is a busy man. He's got a lot to worry about with his leadership of 'Dreamworks SKG' and concurrently trying to find scripts that appeal to the artist inside him. Fortunately, a man with his kind of stroke in Hollywood can take producing credit on some lesser projects and then direct his personal favourites. Only his 6th directing effort of the '90s, "Saving Private Ryan" is his most brutal, and perhaps most honest, film. Like Spielberg's 1993 masterpiece, "Schindler's List", this picture has historic significance. People can study "Saving Private Ryan" and actually learn something about the horrors of World War II. Now, don't assume that "study" means that young kids should see this. They certainly should NOT see it because the violence is so brutally frightening. What happens to the men in this picture makes the violence in most action films look even MORE cartoonish than usual. This is blood and guts at its stripped-down core. And gore may have never been shown on the silver screen like this. Even stupid slasher flicks haven't shown this much diversity in how to kill people. The now-famous first 25 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" is the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach. The Allied Forces storm the beach to take it from the Germans by sending in the ground troops to break down the defences. Before many of the young men ever get off the boats, they're shot like sittin' ducks. Using a great deal of hand-held camera shots and terrific make-up, Spielberg shows men loosing limbs, internal organs, heads, and obviously their lives throughout the bloody invasion. As the bodies pile up and the audience grip their arm-rests, the troops surge forward to "take the beach". Ultimately successful in their primary objective, but faced with massive loss of lives, the armed forces do what you do in war when bad stuff happens--move on. So, having said that, the movie would not have worked if the main characters were not likable. And who's more likable on the big screen than Tom Hanks? The two-time Oscar-winner is as close to a modern-day Jimmy Stewart as we have. Heck, I'd follow Tom Hanks into war. Nominated for another Academy Award as Captain John Miller, Hanks leads a platoon of 7 other men into the heart of a war-torn Europe. Their mission--and they have no choice but to accept it--is to find the youngest son of a mother who has already lost his 3 older brothers. They have orders to bring him out so he can go home. On the surface, it's a simple story and one that COULD end when they find Private Ryan (Matt Damon). A poor movie would end with the trumpets blaring and the credits rolling when the entire platoon stumbles victoriously into friendly territory with the young fella. This film is better than that. It dares to give us a reason to believe in their mission of endangering 8 lives for the life of 1. You believe in their mission by the time the final guns go off and just have to love these fightin' men. A part of you dies when they die. Well, not ALL of them end up dead, but let's be honest--even if you haven't seen the film--they're not all coming out alive. After all, this is war and war is hell. Young Ryan responds in perhaps the most honest and honourable way he could when the platoon find him--he refuses to leave because he feels obligated to stay and defend a bridge with his new "brothers", his squadron. The climactic battle with the heavily fortified Germans is almost as messy as the D-Day invasion. The out-manned Americans fight gallantly, but this final battle rivals the one on Omaha Beach in terms of bloodshed. It's strange that one of the hottest actors on the planet, Matt Damon, is not the star of this show (even if he IS the title character). He is appropriately cast as the boy they're trying to save. You feel the same way the platoon does when they first see him--all the bellyaching about the mission is easily forgettable when you put a face to the name. The chief "bellyacher" is Reiben (Edward Burns). Playing the wisecracking' kid from Brooklyn, Burns looked to be a good bet to receive an Oscar nomination. Since he didn't, he can take something far more valuable from this film--as a young director, he got to work with the immortal Spielberg. Tom Sizemore, who plays loyal Sgt. Horvath, could have been an Oscar-finalist, too, since he so epitomized the toughness, grit, and sincerity of the group. Also, Jeremy Davies, the green corporal brought along to translate, is like a small child caught in a mansized nightmare. He's very good in his role, as well. In all, "Saving Private Ryan" was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, ranging from sound to art direction to score (John Williams, alas) to the phenomenal make-up. However, it didn't get the nod for Visual Effects and that's just not right. All those bullets and explosions and hideous deaths were worthy of some recognition. So, if the Academy won't do it, then I'll recognize it here--the terrific special effects were award-worthy because they were helpful to the story, rather than BEING the story. Spielberg has now shown the Jewish side and the American side of WWII. It will be interesting to see if he takes a big risk and tackles a project that shows the German, Japanese, or even the Russian side of that war. If he does, he could be in line for a third Best Director Oscar (provided he wins this year, of course). This is only the second movie I've ever seen twice in a theatre and it's good enough to be seen again. When I walked out of the cinema the first time last summer, I said "there's your Oscar winner right there". I stand by that quote even today, despite the wonderful rivalry that should develop between "Saving Private Ryan" and "Shakespeare In Love". Both films are worthy in this two-horse race, but the great Steven Spielberg deserves a 2nd Best Director Oscar. I believe he'll win it for this film.

USELESS TRIVIA--If Tom Hanks wins his 3rd Oscar, he would become the first actor to ever win 3 awards in a leading role (all of them in just 6 years!).

This film receives a 10/10. It also ranks #74 on My 100 Favourite Films list.

    THE RYAN RATING SYSTEM SAYS...
    10/10--absolutely outstanding
     9/10--excellent
     8/10--pretty darn good
     7/10--sure, go on and give it a peek
     6/10--so-so; ye ol' recommendation point
     5/10--not quite worth the dollars
     4/10--only if you have a free pass
     3/10--don't go, PLEASE don't go
     2/10--avoid even if you DO have a free pass
     1/10--"Showgirls" territory; truly crappy
     0/10--bang your head off a wall instead

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