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Saving Private Ryan Customer Reviews (49 - 51 of 91 Reviews)

One of the most realistic movies ever made
Ok, It's kinda hard for a 25 year old to say if a movie is realistic or not based on other reviews and the movie itself that seems to be the case. The much talked about first half-hour of the movie is indeed gruesome. If you have a weak stomach or can't stand the really horrible war pictures you can skip this, there is no important storyline in it and therefore unimportant for the rest of the movie, it is however a brilliant piece of filming.

The movie itself is mostly set in shades of green and grey, making the imagery beautiful and therefore worth seeing. It's again a great Spielberg movie, especially in its realism and if you want to get a good view about how D-Day was see this, maybe together with the great mini-series Band of Brothers.

Excellent look at leadership & tribute to veterans of WW II
Being a Army National Guard captain when I viewed this movie, I was very interested in the character Captain Miller, who is played by Tom Hanks. I found the way in which Miller balances taking care of his soldiers and carrying out the mission was very tough and brutal.

Captain Miller is obviously affected by the stress and horror of war, but he still is able to effectively lead. Knowing how soldiers act, I felt the movie was very realistic in the portrayal of the enlistedmen and the sergeant, played by Tom Sizemore. The enlistedmen are not yes-men, but are soldiers who carry out their duty with cynical views of their mission.

With all his faults and sarcastic view, Captain Miller exemplifies an officer that does all he can to make sure that he carries out the mission to get his soldiers on "that big boat home."

A few years after this movie, I visited the American cemetary at Normandy. I felt a great gratitude to the soldiers that died on D-Day. This movie will give you a strong sense of admiration for those that served the United States in World War II, especially on the crucial D-Day. This is probably the best World War II movie I have ever seen. Be prepared for very graphic violence.

A Tour De Force
This WWII film is definitely one of Spielberg's crowning achievement as a director and film producer. Although a rather stereotypical story and arrangement of characters, the technical brilliance involved in the combat scenes more than makes up for the defects.

Personally, I just don't see the logic in the mission to save Private Ryan because he's the last surviving son of a family: what about those families who lost their only surviving sons? Was their loss not as great? As for the technical aspects of the film, there are some minor flaws that don't add up such as the drowning soldiers being penetrated by German 8mm bullets when they're over 6' below water: physically impossible as those bullets would lose all momentum at that point! Some details of the Tiger I tank shown in the film were also incorrect. Other aspects in the screenplay were rather shallow such as where the 'evil' German Wermacht soldier is freed only to come back and kill the Jewish G.I. Please, this is a theme that has been so overdone in WWII films that it's unworthy to present even by someone of Spielberg's sensibilities on this subject.

Don't get me wrong, this is truly one of the best WWII films ever made in terms of accuracy and special effects. The story however was rather weak in my opinion and tasted more like your typical Hollywood syrrup. I find Spielberg's production of 'Band of Brothers' to be far superior to this film in terms of story line with action and effects that are just as realistic and authentic.

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