Saving Private Ryan

Oh my God. Wow. If you are looking for a powerful World War 2 film, "Saving Private Ryan" should be the next movie on your netflix. The 1998 epic film directed by Steven Spielberg is beyond unbelievable. Emotions run high as soon as you press the play button. Tom Hanks stars as Captain John H. Miller who is in charge of 7 other men, to go on a mission to save one soldier, Private Ryan, who is played by Matt Damon. Private Ryan's brothers were all killed in combat, and if one brother is still alive they send them home so the parents still have one child. But saving Private Ryan is no easy feat, but going on this journey and watching the story unfold on screen is captivating and empowering.

I loved this film. It's not my genre of film choice but it was real and interesting and all you do is get attached to these men and hope and pray they all survive in the end. The acting was incredible. Matt Damon has a small role but he delivered a fine performance. Tom Hanks was truly great, I haven't seen him in anything really intense other than "Forrest Gump" and he was great in that film and he was just as great in this one. The other actors in the film were great as well, Edward Burns, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg, and Vin Diesel. Since there are so few men Spielberg focuses strictly on their relationships with each other and their mission, which I enjoyed. The film takes place during World War 2 during D-Day and the days that follow so there is not much talking but words don't even have to be said to convey the emotions and the thoughts that run through these soldiers.



This film hits hard at home, thinking about everything going on now with War, and although this film is just a film and is supposed to entertain it's audience and take the audience out of reality, I couldn't stop thinking about how it was back then in the 1940s and how I'm sure it is now in Iraq and Afghanistan. The actions and events that occurred in "Saving Private Ryan" are terrifying and traumatic and I can't even fathom the thought of people having to go through something so horrific whether it was 1944 or 2010.

Spielberg works his magic and has some really great shots, especially one in particular with Tom Hanks's silhouette which I actually really loved I also love when he slowed certain dramatic shots down and made them completely silent, it was so intense and very powerful.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys war films, Tom Hanks, gore, violence, Spielberg, and watching strong bonds between powerful courageous men fight for our freedom.