Saving Private Ryan

World War II was considered to the be the last great war of the last century. America didn't enter the war until December 7, 1941 when Japan launched a full-scale attack on Pearl Harbor. After that, America was intent of ridding the world of the powers that would threaten the free world: Germany, Italy and Japan. On June 6, 1944, the United States and its allies launched a daring invasion of France to rid Europe of the Nazis. The Invasion of Normandy would prove to be the major turning point in the war, when we pushed back Hitler's forces and gained a foothold in Europe to launch a major counter-attack against the German war machine. Saving Private Ryan takes place during the backdrop of this invasion.

When the Americans land on Omaha Beach, they are greeted with a wall of steel that literally rips through them, and leading them through fray is Captain John H. Miller(Tom Hanks) to get through enemy lines and open up a hole so the American invasion can continue. After the Germans are pushed back from the coast, Miller is given a new set of orders: To find a young soldier, Private Ryan(Matt Damon) in the 101st Airborne, who lost all of his brothers in combat, and bring him home. Taking a small platoon of soldiers including Sgt. Horvath(Tom Sizemore), Pvt. Jackson(Barry Pepper), Pvt. Caparzo(Vin Diesel) and Medic Wade(Giovanni Ribisi), Miller fights his through enemy lines to find Ryan. Saving Private Ryan is without a doubt one of the greatest war movies ever made, and not just because of the opening invasion of Normandy. The opening invasion is one of the most grueling and brutal scenes ever filmed for a war movie, but it shows the brutal reality of war. It's bloody, and lots of good men lost their lives. Steven Spielberg, known for his Indiana Jones films takes a gritty and realistic turn with Saving Private Ryan, not only showing the reality of war, but how a group of soldiers come together as brothers for a common cause.

The story in Saving Private Ryan is largely fiction, inspired partially by the Sullivan brothers. The 5 Sullivan brothers served in the same unit when they were all killed. It was then decided by the US Military that brothers should never serve in the same unit. And this is part of what makes Saving Private Ryan so powerful. When high-ranking officials learn that the mother of Private James Ryan is going to be getting three telegrams reporting the deaths of her other children, they decide its in her best interest that Ryan comes home alive. In reality, when you look at the overall war, things like sending a platoon of soldiers to find one man never happened. It was far more important to win the war than to worry about one person. Considering that many families lost sons, brothers and fathers in the war, it was never even considered a possibility. Regardless, the story in Saving Private Ryan is a very good one that shows the relationships between soldiers and their commanding officer, and that really helps drive the movie. If you didn't care about the characters, you wouldn't root for them or feel bad if they died.

Saving Private Ryan won many awards including 5 Academy Awards which included Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing and Best Effects. The opening D-Day invasion is beyond compare as it is one of the most realistic depictions of war I've ever seen and has yet to be topped. The music by John Williams takes a back seat to what happens on the screen, but when it shows up, it has an emotional impact. This in emotionally gripping tale of soldiers attempting to do their duty and depicts them as real human beings that have doubts about what their doing, but ultimately do the right thing. Steven Spielberg hit this one right out of the park. At nearly 3 hours, the film doesn't drag at all. With spurts of action throughout the picture, and with the exception of the first 40 minutes, this is more about the characters than the actual war, even though it is very important to the story. The film was based on book written by Steve Ambrose. For fans of war movies and great story-telling, it really doesn't get much better than Saving Private Ryan. It's a very powerful film. I give it a perfect 10/10.

It goes without saying that if we were not able to push the Germans back on D-Day, the war would have gone on, the Holocaust would have continued, and more lives would have been lost. As I stated above, D-Day was probably the most important turning point of the whole war. Families lost brothers, sons, and fathers in one of the bloodiest battles in US history. But if it wasn't for their sacrifice, we most likely wouldn't be having the lives we have now. Saving Private Ryan is not only an entertaining film, but it also serves as a testament to the heroism and sacrifice of the soldiers who laid everything on the line for us. The price of freedom has always been paid with blood, and its easy for some of us to forget that. In this day and age, that's not something we should ever forget.