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Finally, a movie comes out of Hollywood that shows the unglorified, gut-wrenching truth of the physical and emotional horror soldiers face on the battlefield.
Directed by Stephen Spielberg, "Saving Private Ryan" opens and concludes with graphic war scenes. These scenes are not without purpose. They provide a powerful context for a war-front story of sacrifice and human courage.
The 30-minute opening scene chronicles a soldier's view of the D-Day landing at Normandy. The scene is violent and graphic, as any real war scene would be. Frightened and seasick soldiers charge the beach where their flesh is cut to pieces by bullets, limbs are blown off and entrails spilled. The water is blood-red on the body-strewn beach.
"Saving Private Ryan" tells the story of eight World War II soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), whose assignment is to find "a needle in a stack of needles." The team searches to find a soldier who's three brothers have been killed in battle. The Army wants to send the surviving brother home to save his mother from further grief.
When the squad encounters enemy fire and death during the search, they confront the ethical question of "When is one life more important than another?"
Hanks' soul-stirring performance as the war-weary but devoted to duty Capt. Miller demostrates why he is often considered a modern-day Jimmy Stewart.
While not the highest-profile role of his career, this English-teacher-turned-soldier role is one of his best.
The supporting cast features Tom Sizemore ("The Relic") who vividly portray's Miller's faithful friend and sergeant. Matt Damon ("The Rainmaker" and "Good Will Hunting") is solid in the role of Private Ryan.
The violence of the movie is a condemnation of war. The story demonstrates that all war, even a popular war, is savage and merciless.
Unlike many modern war movies, Spielberg shows how a soldier can return from the terror of war to live a life of grace and honor.