Following the Allied invasion of Normandy, two brothers lay dead in the wake of the onslaught. Meanwhile, in New Guinea, a third brother has been killed fighting the Japanese. After the Army General Staff learns that a fourth brother is missing in the French countryside, a rescue mission is ordered to find the young soldier and return him safely home. The mission is mounted by a veteran Ranger Captain commanding a squad of men who have mixed feelings about risking their lives to "Save Private Ryan".
This and PLATOON are probably 2 of the best war movies I've ever seen. This is also easily in the Top 5 of Spielberg's best and I might be generous enough to put it as high as number 2 (SCHINDLER'S LIST is his masterpiece). What worked the most for me with this film was the realism. Spielberg did a fantastic job at bringing the audience into the film and making them feel as if they were in the trenches with these guys.
Also, the opening battle scene on the beach is tough to get through. It shows the viewer very quickly just how brutal, ugly and vicious war can be. This stood out to me because some war films (particularly some of the classics) seem to glamorize the war. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but Spielberg went in an opposite direction and said it wasn't all glamorous. As such, I think he offered a better tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for this country than some in the past.
Also, the cast was great for this film. Most, if not all of these guys are recognizeable now. Some of them weren't as much before this film (Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and others), but since then have seen their careers grow from this. Barry Pepper was my favorite as I briefly stated in my review of SHOOTER. I respect his talent and his calmness throughout the picture. Also Tom Sizemore fit in beautifully. I just felt he was built for this picture and that role as Tom Hanks second in command.
How SHAKESPEAR IN LOVE beat this out for Best Picture I'll never know. However, in all fairness, I've never seen SHAKESPEAR IN LOVE, although I just can't imagine it being better than RYAN. For Michael Bay, this is the kind of movie he should have made when he was making PEARL HARBOR just 3 years later. Oh well, all will be forgiven if TRANSFORMERS kicks a$$ which I anticpated it will!
Finally, after watching this film, if Quentin Tarantino plans on still doing INGLORIOUS B*STARDS, I'd be excited to see it. Not only because it's Quentin, but also because I'd love to see how he could or try to surpass RYAN. I'd like to see Quentin try his hand at a war flick.
