In the first entry of our 50 movies to see before you die series, I wanted to choose a film that really, really struck me, one that I never go long without thinking about, and one that made me appreciate film exponentially more than I did the day before seeing it. I chose Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Ed Burns, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, and Giovanni Ribisi. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg, and won the Best Directing Oscar. The film follows a squad of soldiers who just survived Dday (Hanks, Sizemore, Burns, Diesel, Pepper, Ribisi, Adam Goldberg, and Jeremy Davies) who are sent on a mission to go retrieve a soldier deep in the heart of Germany. This soldier, a Private Ryan (Damon) is one of four sons, and his three brothers were killed in the war. The military wants to send him home alive so his parents can have one of their four sons come back. The film takes you on the search for Private Ryan, and also the search each member of the squad has internally, why does this man get to go home? Why are we risking our lives for one man when we also have parents wishing we would come home? As the squad goes from one dangerous situation to the next, losing some of their squad mates along the way, this struggle becomes even more evident.
Now that the main foundation of the film is set, lets talk about why its an absolute must see for everyone. War films have been around forever, and there have been amazing and brutal and realistic war films before this one. But with SPR, today's technology combined with Spielberg's amazing talent give you the most realistic and gut-wrenching portrayal of war we'll ever see. The opening sequence, taking place on the beaches of Normandy, is a heart breaking experience that will stick with you forever. The first time I saw the film, myself and a friend went with my Aunt, and I will never forget her sobbing and the way her nails dug into my arm as she tried to stomach the authenticity and brutality of what she was witnessing. Now, for some people, this is a reason not to see the movie, but like another Spielberg film that will be on this list, Schindler's List, sometimes you have to gut it out to witness something equal parts amazing and terrifying. The remainder of the film is not quite a shockingly violent, but it continues to crush your soul as you get to know the members of this squad and watch some of them die for their mission. One scene in particular, and this will be a mild spoiler, has Giovanni Ribisi's medic talking to Hanks' Captain, explaining a broken relationship with his mother, and how some nights she would work all day and come home, just wanting to talk to him, but he would pretend to be asleep, and he doesn't know why he did this. The next day when he is shot and knows there is nothing that can be done to save him, he screams "mama" while dying.
Once you get past the authenticity and the film's true devotion to showing you what soldiers in WWII went through, you can really appreciate other parts of the film as well. The acting is top notch. All the actors mentioned already plus small parts from actors like Ted Danson and Paul Giamatti give fantastic performances. Spielberg films SPR with an eye that only he has, the editing, cinematography, and general look of the film are amazing. John Williams' brings his A game for the score, and delivers a score so poignant and perfect, just hearing it will allow you to picture what scene it was in.
Unfortunately, SPR was the victim of the biggest mistake in Oscar history, giving Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love over SPR, and Actor to Robert Benigni over Tom Hanks is quite a travesty on its own. SPR is not without fault. As its critics will tell you it has one, very large continuity error with the way the narration is framed, but there are many reasons for this, and I will not get into it specifically as to not spoil it.
Saving Private Ryan is a film experience you will never, ever forget. It is gripping, amazing, brutal, and honest, and is one of the absolute best films I have ever seen. Let us know your thoughts of SPR in the comments section, we would love to hear from people who had not seen SPR prior to reading this. Check back later this week for the first entry in this series from Diomedes.
-Maximus
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