‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998): The Best War Movie You Can Watch with Your Dad

Directed by: Steven Spielberg || Produced by: Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Steven Spielberg

Written by: Robert Rodat || Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi

Music by: John Williams || Cinematography by: Janusz Kaminski || Editing by: Michael Kahn || Country: United States || Language: English

Running Time: 169 minutes

A true work of filmmaking ingenuity, spearheaded by perhaps the best opening scene in all of cinema, Steven Spielberg crafts his greatest film yet in the World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan. No other war film comes close to matching the thrill of this tale of self-sacrifice and the crossroads of right and wrong. Few movies, based on wars or not, tackle their emotional themes in such personal and visceral style as Saving Private Ryan (SPR). Spielberg perfects his classical blockbuster filmmaking style in what may be his most mature film, yet.

Ryan’s opening scene is as powerful and memorable as Scarface’s (1983) climax. Like that gangster ending, Ryan’s beginning is so well shot it is mind-boggling. The viewer feels like they are charging the beaches of Normandy as Nazi defenses rain bullets down upon them. The invasion is fast-paced, breathtaking, and absolutely brutal. More so than any other film in his long and storied career, SPR showcases the incredible direction and camerawork that Spielberg can deliver. He recreates one of the most gruesome battles in human history, but he films it with the awe and effect of a massive blockbuster, all the while keeping the tone as deadly serious as the setting and never once making the charge feel over-the-top.

Spielberg’s envisioning of D-Day is awe-inspiring.

The now trademark violence and sheer graphic nature of SPR is done neither for cheap exploitation purposes, nor does it serve to portray the horrifying conditions of combat in humanity’s greatest war (although it certainly does that, as well), but rather to establish the film’s grit and violent tone. Right from the get-go, we are greeted with images of Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, and other soldiers’ grimy, dirty faces, the visuals of sea water splashing over the sides of amphibious armored vehicles; one soldier vomits his guts from sheer nerves (the others wearily sidestep the throw-up) before the vehicle’s gates drop and a wave of German machine gun fire mows down the first unit of troops with shocking ease, hot bullets piercing muscle, armor, blood, and bone.

The action only gets worse as Hanks and Sizemore yell for everybody to bail over the side while Nazi defenses rain down lead death from the beach. Note the unforgettable images and audio FX of soldiers plunging into the cold Atlantic, the muffled sound as bodies struggle underwater while machine gun rounds penetrate the shallow depths, turning the water red; I further recall rifles and bloodied helmets sinking to the ocean floor, as well as the jarring sound design of Hanks and another US soldier (Sizemore?) hauling each other to the beach as the tide repeatedly sucks them below the surface; all those moments and technical flourishes are cinematic memories that will burn their way into your brain whether you want them to or not.

The fact that even the dialogue stands out in one of the greatest set-pieces in film history is a testament to the legendary directing skill of Spielberg, as well as the sound design talent of his team. After only about ten minutes of screen-time, most of which has consisted of shooting, screaming, ripping body parts, and violent explosions, we’ve already established the personalities and military roles for most of our cast. How’s that for efficient filmmaking?

Spielberg has never been, nor is he now, a director whom challenged the archetypal style of cinematic storytelling. He has never come close to imitating or influencing the more unconventional directorial techniques of filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, or Martin Scorsese. He has long established himself as the archetypal blockbuster auteur who, along with George Lucas, inspired the likes of James Cameron, J. J. Abrams, Michael Bay, Joss Whedon, Christopher Nolan, Robert Zemeckis, and similar modern blockbuster directors. Spielberg’s films, at least all of his major ones as far as I know, are defined by character-driven narratives built around a relatable protagonist or hero. If this sounds formulaic, that’s because it is — this “hero’s journey” structure encompasses well over 90% of the global motion picture body of work, as well as most stories ever told by humans.

Though Spielberg never ventured far from the relative safety of traditional storytelling structure, he is hardly a one-trick pony with regards to genre success. He is no stranger to directing films with different tones and diegetic backgrounds from one year to the next. From Jaws (1975) to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to Indiana Jones (1981, 1984, 1989) to Empire of the Sun (1987) to Schindler’s List (1993) to Jurassic Park (1993) to Minority Report (2002) and many others in between, Steven Spielberg has done it all with regards to genres of narrative filmmaking.

SPR is his greatest film out of that long line of outstanding work because it channels this straightforward, protagonist-driven story better than any of his other films. While the matter of this screenplay’s prowess compared to the rest of Spielberg’s directorial efforts comes down to splitting hairs, the direction of this original band of brothers blows that of Jurassic Park, Jaws, E.T., and even Schindler’s List out of the water. The focus in the calm moments of reflection, as well as the jaw-dropping scope and attention to detail in every set-piece are like nothing else in the rest of Spielberg’s filmography, and put all action scenes of other war films beneath this WWII epic. The special FX done in master alone are astounding. This is by far Spielberg’s best directorial effort.

The ending is almost as visceral and intense as the opening, but has a completely different tone.

As for the screenplay itself, all the characters feel real, have likable personalities, and are memorable. The team dynamic of Hanks’ squad plays out beautifully at every point of the adventure, from the harrowing charge up the beaches of Nazi-occupied France until the squad’s last stand in a war-torn village, fighting to the last man as German forces close in all around them. 

In the end, Saving Private Ryan will probably be remembered most for its iconic opening and its infamous loss at the Academy Awards to Shakespeare in Love (1998), but despite that, Spielberg’s masterpiece far outlives its Oscar competition and shines as a beautiful example of human art in the darkest of settings. Moreover, it epitomizes the emotional power and technical skill of Spielberg’s traditionalist, character-driven blockbuster style, built upon one of the greatest special FX-extravaganzas in cinematic history, as well as a dedication to a diverse, likable, and charismatic ensemble cast.

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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION: Saving Private Ryan demonstrates Steven Spielberg’s utter command of classical storytelling and bombastic set-pieces while further elaborating his maturation as a filmmaker into darker, adult subject-matter. He creates one of, if not the greatest opening scenes in movie history, and directs one of Tom Hanks’ finest lead performances.

— However… Ryan’s color-palette is washed out and relatively one-note. Bring a barf-bag for the first twenty minutes.

—> Saving Private Ryan comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

? Vin Diesel is in this movie of all people. Did you know that?