SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (M).
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars:Tom
Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore,
Matt Damon, Jeremy Davies, Barry
Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel,
Giovanni Ribisi, Ted Danson, Paul
Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Dale Dye,
Harve Presnell
Running Time:167 minutes.
Loosely inspired by the poignant, true 1944 wartime
drama The Sullivans comes the powerful and
ultimately moving Saving Private Ryan, Steven
Spielberg's calculated attempt to grab more Oscar
glory.
This three hour long film depicts a mission in which a
small platoon goes behind enemy lines to find a
soldier whose brothers have been killed in separate
actions. The US government decides that the Ryan
family has suffered enough, and Private James Ryan
has earned his ticket home. Captain John Miller (Tom
Hanks) is chosen to lead a hand picked squad to find
Private Ryan amid the chaos of the Allied invasion of
Europe and "get him the hell out of there." As his
battle-weary troops question the validity of risking so
many lives to save just one man, the disillusioned
Miller slowly senses his command slipping away.
Miller and his dirty half dozen are just following
orders, but Saving Private Ryan shows the human
cost of these orders.
Robert Rodat's superb script questions the nobility
of war itself, but it also explores that sense of
camaraderie of brothers in arms. There is some grim
humour to be found throughout, which relieves the
almost unbearable build up of tension. Spielberg
sandwiches this over long boy's own war time
adventure between two of the most gritty,
unrelentingly savage, intensely realistic and harrowing
combat sequences ever filmed. From the very
opening he drags us into the brutal reality of war with
a re-enactment of the botched landing at Omaha
Beach on D-Day. The final climactic battle comes as
Miller and his ravaged troops defend a bridge against
a Panzer attack.
The controversial first half hour is a confronting,
savage experience. There is little glory to be found in
the massacre that opens this quite harrowing film.
Spielberg shows fresh-faced young soldiers machine
gunned even before they have had time to leave the
landing crafts. We see soldiers drowning in the blood
red seas from the weight of their own equipment.
Using hand held cameras and grainy film stock,
cinematographer Janusz Kaminski gives these
scenes an immediacy. This documentary-like realism
enables audiences to virtually smell the blood, sweat
and gunsmoke.
Spielberg's graphic depiction of the carnage of war
goes way beyond anything achieved by Peckinpah in
Cross Of Iron or Cornel Wilde in his brutal Beach
Red. Spielberg does not glamourise war; rather he
depicts the horror and bloodshed to devastating
effect. Never have I felt so drained upon leaving a
cinema before.
Dual Oscar winner Hanks is superb as the enigmatic
and stoic Miller, lending his character credibility, and
an unexpectedly human dimension that earns our
sympathy. The under rated Tom Sizemore is
excellent as the veteran, no-nonsense sergeant
Horvath. As the eponymous Private Ryan, Matt
Damon delivers a solid performance that should
further cement his reputation. Jeremy Davies (from
Spanking The Monkey) delivers a superbly affecting
performance as the interpreter, reluctantly dragged
along on the mission, who experiences his first taste
of combat, and he makes a potentially unlikeable
character moderately sympathetic.
Spielberg has wisely cast largely unknown, fresh
young actors in the remaining key roles, so as not to
distract from the narrative. Spielberg put his actors
through an actual military training course to give their
actions an authenticity that enhances the movie.
However, Spielberg is not beyond some visual
trickery, especially in the artifices he employs to
deliberately keep secret the identity of the old man
seen visiting a military cemetery in France in the brief
prologue. A rather twee epilogue sends out a heartfelt
but saccharine reminder to audiences that these
soldiers sacrificed plenty to preserve our freedom.
Saving Private Ryan will undoubtedly be recognised
as one of the great war movies in the history of
cinema. In a year devoid of truly great films, Saving
Private Ryan stands out like a beacon amongst the
dross. It should start favourite to win the major
Oscars next year.