Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Also known as "Saving Private Ryan Special Edition DVD"
The mission is a man
Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, Jeremy davies, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson, Max Martin, Dylan Bruno, Joerg Stadler, Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina
Director: Steven Spielberg
Running Time: 170 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: 15
Action, Drama, War
On DVD If ever there was a gaping opportunity for me to climb onto that high horse I've been keeping locked up in my bedroom cupboard, it's now. 'Saving Private Ryan' is a good film. That's not something I'd ever dispute. But is it a great one? Is it great as in five Oscars (which is what it got) great? Is it great as in watch-this-and-you-won't-recover-for-months great? The answer, I would have to say, is no. It's not.
For one thing, there's absolutely no reason for it to be as long as it is. For another, it overdoses on cheese from as early on as the very first scene. Even the very storyline itself is a bit of an eye-roller. And let's not forget that painfully over-used melodramatic score by John Williams. Oh, and another thing - Ted Danson's in it. I mean, seriously - TED DANSON??
It kicks off by showing us a bunch of wrinklies, but don't worry - it's nothing like 'Cocoon'. Before long we're whisked back in time to the closing stages of World War II. June 6th 1944, to be exact, where US Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his troops are having a tough time of it on the beach at Omaha. You know the deal - gunfire, wailing, blood splattering across the camera lens (another thing I have a gripe with, as it instantly makes you conscious of the fact that there's a camera present and, as it's not a documentary, none of this is actually real).
After that first battle comes the important stuff - a quest, set by the Government, for Hanks and co. They've got to traipse across the countryside risking their lives to look for some bloke called Private Ryan, whose mum is none to happy at already having lost his plethora of brothers to those Nazi swines.
Steven Spielberg gives us what is clearly a painstakingly put-together film, with some impressive set-pieces and a typically masterful performance from his leading man. Clearly it's made for an American audience, and therefore the sort of people who don't as a reflex grind their teeth when presented with the image of a billowing stars and stripes. Taken with a bit more cynicism than Spielberg's track record suggests he's capable of comprehending, the film can be seen for what it actually is - a good piece of work, but also a slightly cringeworthy one.
DVD Extras: 'Into the Breach' featurette, theatrical trailers, production notes, and cast & crew bios.
It's Got: Strategically-placed cattle corpses.
It Needs: Someone to explain why the BBFC rate this as a 15, but 'Scream' is an 18. Which one, I wonder, shows the most (and the most realistic) scenes of violence?
Alternatives: Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Platoon, Windtalkers, Tears of the Sun, M*A*S*H
Summary: Stonewall proof that Steven Spielberg, while a marvellous film-maker, possesses not a single cynical bone in his body. Which is actually kinda nice, in a Forrest Gumpy sort of way.
Review by Gary Panton
External Links
Saving Private Ryan at the IMDB
Comments2 Comments |
| You actually suggest Windtalkers as an alternative to Saving Private Ryan?? Have you SEEN Windatalkers? I'm afraid you have just undermined your entire review. Saving Private Ryan is proving that it can stand the test of time. It is still as riveting to watch as the day it was released. Yes there is some schmaltz, but it does not detract from what is a modern classic of the genre. |
| Comment by:- Pete | | 27 May 2004 | ip: logged |
| Well, what a movie. The first 40 minutes was just bloodening but thats what actually happened. I loved it heaps but i think Matt Damon should have got more screen time. Overall it was very well produced and once again another big hit from steven speilberg. |
| Comment by:- Joseph | | 06 September 2004 | ip: logged |
