A Perfect 10!
Saving Private Ryan Earns It

When director Steven Spielberg set out to make Saving Private Ryan, he wanted to tell a war story that could be moving and uplifting, without glossing over the horrors of war. He wanted to bring the same gritty realism of his Oscar-winning Schindler's List to a story about the men who fought for freedom during World War II. He wanted to show what they really went through. He wanted audiences to feel as if they were there. He succeeded.

The early part of the film is a reenactment of the D-Day invasion. We follow one captain (two time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks) as he presses his men forward in an effort to take the beach. It is a gripping, frightening, scene filled with horrors. At the end of the invasion we are left with a grisly view of a beach awash in human bodies, men who often died before leaving their transports. As the camera pans slowly over those bodies, it focuses on a single soldier on whose backpack the name Ryan is stenciled.

It is soon discovered by the military that Ryan was the third of four brothers to die in the war. Their mother will be receiving all three telegrams that very day. In an effort to spare her the grief of losing her only remaining son, it is decided to send a patrol to recover Pvt. James Ryan and bring him home.

Assigned to the task is Capt. Miller (Hanks) and seven of his men. Miller leads his men, commanding with a stoicism of duty, not by waving a flag of heroism or valor. He accepts the mission because it will bring him closer to going home, not because of his love for some unknown private. In his weakness, we find an "everyman" -- more Gregory Peck than John Wayne -- with whom to identify.

Likewise, the men in Miller's company are not super soldiers. They are vulnerable. They make mistakes. They perform acts which -- even in war -- seem atrocious. But in each of their weaknesses, we see their destinies played out. With every decision they make, their lives literally hang in the balance. An act of kindness can be repaid with a bullet. An attempt to save a life may bring about death. Even more apparent is the utter randomness of death.

There are some wonderful performances in the film, including Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, and Matt Damon. Sizemore delivers a powerful performance as Miller's loyal and unwavering second, Sgt. Horvath. It is through Horvath that Miller's frailty is explored, for it is only around him that Miller will allow himself to drop his facade of command. Burns and Damon do great jobs, bringing fear, loyalty and sadness to their characters. Ted Danson (from television's "Cheers") also makes a cameo appearance as Capt. Hamill.

The direction and cinematography of Saving Private Ryan are artistic and moving. The violence is frightening, and even repelling, but never glorified or gratuitous. There are moments, however, so tender by contrast that they can bring tears. The scene in which Mrs. Ryan is visited by the army and falls to her knees weeping. The scene in the bombed-out church when one of the men is transcribing a blood-soaked letter to a fallen comrade's father. And finally, the scene in the cemetery at Normandy -- which moved me immensely.

The greatest strength of Saving Private Ryan is in its ability to say that war is a horrible thing without disparaging those who fought so bravely for ideals like freedom and democracy. While the movie is a harsh look at the ravages of war, it also tells us that there are things worth fighting for. More importantly, it reminds us to be thankful for what was done for us, and to earn our freedom -- which so many men died to give -- by living the best lives we can.

This film is rated R for its depiction of the violence of war and some language. Spielberg himself made the suggestion that no one under the age of 15 ½ be allowed to see it. War is definitely for adults.

MY RATING: 10 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 160 min.