Genres

Visitors Review

haganahrules 2012-05-25 05:54:41

Beautiful, sad, Real life drama

What can I say about this movie that has not been said already? I sawit in the theater with my father and my grandfather who was in the USArmed Air Forces (8th) during WW2 and retired a Major to raise a familyback in the US. The Army wanted him back for Korea but he had alreadyserved voluntarily since Pearl Harbor was bombed. Three of his brothersalso served in combat and luckily all made it out alive. I loved this movie so much, it had the saddest but also happiest endingand so many terrific scenes in between. In the beginning we are notinformed that the reason the US had so many casualties was due toerrors made by those planning air drops and bombings, the troops shouldhave had more support but the Armed Air Forces was apparently 50 milesup the coast from Normandy. The characters in this film are well formedand as a viewer you feel a connection to all of them. There are so many heroic actions and stories that came out of WW2,Saving Private Ryan, will remain a great one for all generations evenif it is not based entirely on true events. If you haven't seen it gorent it NOW!

Al-80 2012-05-24 18:08:04

A Classic. Well, nearly....

Although the horrifying opening sequence to "Saving Private Ryan" isprobably the best thing Steven Spielberg has ever committed to celluloid,the rest of the movie is highly watchable and entertaining. It is pureHollywood manipulation, but it is well done.What is worrying is Spielberg's rather distasteful flag waving, which was asdepressing as it was distressing. Spielberg is re-writing history, andpeople are buying it. It is tarnishing the memories of the millions ofEnglish, Canadian and French who died during World War II. Spielberg wantsus to believe that World War II was the USA against the world, heroesall.What is admirable though, is that Spielberg is getting a horrific depictionof war over to a mainstream audience. He is educating young people about thefutility and the anguish of war. This is commendable.Oh, and for all the amazing war footage, I haven't seen anything worse incontemporary cinema than the modern day sequences that bookend the film.This was pure cinematic masturbation. How much more powerful would theending have been if the elderly Private Ryan just got up, and walked awayinto the distance with his family? Exactly. What do we get? A trulyrevolting snatch of sentimental dialogue ("Tell me I've led a good life":Eurghh!!) and a salute to the grave of his Captain. Then a near five minuteshot of the American flag.Steven Spielberg, I ask you. First you want to kiss him, then you want tokick him.

Mattias Petersson 2012-05-18 02:41:02

Mixed feelings

I have mixed feelings about this movie. While it is clearly one of thebetter WW2-movies to come out the last decades it must still be one ofthe most overrated films ever.A small group of soldiers set out to find a paratrooper, private Ryan,who has landed behind enemy lines in Normandy. The reason is that Ryansbrothers have all died in the war and now the army will try to bringRyan home so that at least one son in the family can be brought home tohis mother alive.I said in the beginning of this review that this movie is overrated.And i stand by that comment. This movie has received a rating of over 8here on IMDb which i think is preposterous. What this movie has thatmakes it very good (although not great) is the battle scenes. They aresimply the best i have ever seen. The adrenaline rush, the shakyclose-ups, the gore. Seldom has the complete terror of battle beencaptured this well. Those scenes are worth a rating of 10. But the restof the movie? That is where the problems begin. Because the story israther dull and unbelievable. And the pace is at times very slow. Butmore than anything the characters disturb me. They act like idiots. Idon't know if the soldiers in World War 2 acted this stupid, or if thisis some strange addition by director Steven Spielberg.My point in the end is that this movie contain great elements, but theyalone do not make this a great movie. When all is said and done i givethis movie a rating of 6, that could have been 8 if the story had beenstronger and the characters more believable.

mmmmgrrreat 2012-05-17 20:21:11

Mr. Craven's independent film study.

Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan is clearly one of the mostpraised war movies so far. It is an account of World War Two from theperspective of Captain John H. Miller and his squad on their mission tosave one man, Private James Francis Ryan, who is the surviving brotherof three. Each soldier questions the initiative and reasoning behindsaving one man. Is it worth it to save man and risk the lives of manysoldiers? The answer is obvious by the end of the movie. The story istold in a third person omniscient point of view with a focus on CaptainMiller (Tom Hanks), Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore), Private Reiben(Edward Burns), Private Jackson, Private Mellish, Private Caparzo (VinDiesel) and T-4 medic Irwin Wade. The most breathtaking scene openswith the soldiers moving on Normandy beach on 6 June 1944. The gate onthe boat drops down and releases a surge of chaos. As the viewer seesthree or four soldiers drown they begin to realize that this movie istaking them for an emotional ride. This scene is not drawn from pureHollywood imagination; it is a highly accurate account of any soldier'sexperience during D-Day. Captain Miller and his squad are assigned tofind Private James Ryan so he can go back home. Miller's squad isforced to put away all of their morals and philosophies in order to dotheir job. It is apparent that Miller has a different initiative atfirst when he's given the mission. He was promised a chance to go homeand see his wife; a chance most any man would not give up, but when heactually found Private Ryan it seems that he was glad to have savedhim. This is the perfect example of self-sacrifice during world wartwo. Not only were men and woman forced to give of themselves to savethe land, but they were also forced to save each other.

Sargonarhes 2012-05-15 13:07:54

A shameless grab for an Oscar

While I can't say I was there, I do a lot of reading of WW II. And I don'twant to down play or forget the sacrifice our veterans made in the war.However...I'm really sorry but I saw so much wrong with this movie I don't knowwhereto begin.First, does anyone really think the US military would notice 3 people KIAare brothers and 1 brother is still alive? does the Sullivan brothers meananything to any one?Second, The German MG-42 machine guns used in this movie have a fasterrateof fire than the ones used in this movie, they were also deployed with a10man squad too.Third, Ask any WWII vet. the germans weren't an easy army to beat. Thatbattle at the end of this movie, any good officer would know you DON'Tsendtanks in first into a built up area like a city you send in Infantry tofindenemy positions first.When is some one going to make an honestly accurate war movie? Not thispiece of fiction.

wadet-6 2012-05-14 19:57:35

A captain of the 2nd Rangers and his squad of 8 are sent to rescue a Private in the 101st Airborn who had just lost his three brothers in WWII

Where do I begin? This instantly became my favorite War film. No otherfilm has done it the way Hanks and Speilburg did. It was just amazing.Even though I didn't see it in theaters I was blown away with therealism of it all. What makes this film so intense is that Speilburgfilmed it himself with small one-hand cameras to give you a firstperson glance at the battle at hand. Even though it was nearly threehours long it was simply amazing.The plot begins after the D-Day invasion when Captain John H. Miller,Charlie company, second Rangers is given an assignment to take a squadof eight behind enemy lines to rescue Prive James Ryan, 101st Airborn,506th, whose three brothers were killed in combat during WWII. AsMiller leads his squad through occupied France, He begins to questionthe mission and if what there doing is worth risking the lives of hismen.The reason why this movie did it for me was because its based on a truestory, where you cant mess anything up or your movie is shot.I recommend this movie to mature audiences because of the intensity,and anyone who is interested in history and anyone whose not.

changeyourstars 2012-05-06 19:51:17

Historically Inaccurate

I could not believe how many historical inaccuracies there were in thisfilm! The US army refused to use the British invention of "the stickybomb" saying that it was a waste of military intelligence and a wasteof time, then it saved the day in the movie. Not realistic at all! Plusthe idea of the US army risking that many men so one mother isn't tooupset her sons passed away... absolutely ridiculous! AbsolutelyRidiculous!!!!! Horrible film. I expected much more from StephenSpielberg. Worst Spielberg film EVER!!! If you haven not yet seen thismovie, DO NOT waste your time!!! It made me want to demand my moneyback from the cinema! Just don't waste your time!!!

real_scripts 2012-05-06 00:28:11

Good, but not without faults.

This is, of course, a popular film. I happen to own this DVD, but atthe same time there are only a few scenes that stick out as spectacularin the genre of war films. The few well done battle scenes were thereason I bought this, but some of the glaring faults are what wouldlead me to give this film a 7 out of 10, rather than 10 out of 10 asproductions like Black Hawk Down and even Band of Brothers deserve.First, one of the most obvious problems with the film starts right inthe opening scene. We see all these dirty faced, rugged looking men ontheir way into what is certainly the scariest moment of their lives.Then suddenly we see baby-face Tom Hanks with his smooth skin cleanshaven and groomed like the son of a politician. It creates a contrastright there in the opening scene that is disruptive to the mood andbecomes disruptive later on in the film as well. Don't get me wrong.Tom Hanks is a great actor, but he looked 100 times more rugged inCastaway as he did in this film.Secondly, was Vin Diesel. OK, so people like him. Don't get me wronghere either. I'm not going to claim that he lacks intelligence outsideof his films, although I know he did drop out of college but that's notrelevant. However, in his films it seems like he always playscharacters who don't display an IQ higher than 70. I'm not so sure thisis how the characters were written as much as it is how he plays theroles. His acting is unnatural, stiff, forced, and lacks realism. Hejust comes off idiotic in all of his movies. He became known in thefilm world for a film he wrote and directed, I believe. Maybe he shouldtry his hand at that instead of trying to be the next ArnoldSwartzenegger, because he's not buff enough and he's too awkward as anactor to play that role.Third, as I said before, the film has some great battle scenes, whichis why I bought the DVD, but we have these moments that would best bedescribed as superficial moments in the film. For example, thesemoments that seem like they are in place only to demonstrate Tom Hankswitticism, or moments that make the Nazi soldiers like idiots. Thosescenes seemed unrealistic and annoying. Contrast this with Band ofBrothers and you'll see what I mean. It's a serious film. Not a filmthat requires moments of dry humor. Spielberg dropped the ball on thoseaspects of the film.Good film, but as a war film, not nearly as good as Band of Brothers,Platoon, or Black Hawk Down.

chrisallinson-1 2012-05-05 05:39:43

Beyond belief!

Saving Private Ryan: a monument of a film to the most egregiousmiss-planning of the second world war by a stupid military leadershipwho put thousands of men on a hot-beach without any air support ordestroyer big-guns covering the landing - Monty/Eisenhower should havebeen horse whipped for this atrocity!Of course Spielberg panders to this memorial-to-democracy and shows thebeach scene in all its horror - the bloody waves particularly jarring.After the actual reenactment, Spielberg strolls into a fiction where atroop led by Hanks seeks out Private Ryan (parachuted behind Germanlines and now lost) to return him to his Mom, as his 3 brothers havebeen recently killed in other theater Allied errors. 'Lets not leaveMom bereft of sons' the word from the highest admin. officer in theAllied force. As an aside, my Grandmother lost all six of her brothersin the First World War, and her only two sons in WW2 with nothing morethat a series of belated condolence letters from the DOD.So, off goes 'Captain' Hanks and his motley crew on their'highest-echelon priority' army mission - two separate incidents alongthe way diminish the unit by the time they catch up with 'Private' Ryan(Damon), who in no uncertain terms tells Hanks he has his-mission andwill stay with his unit and defend a bridge! In the proper-Army, atthis point the Captain would have clapped Ryan in irons forinsubordination and returned him unceremoniously to the brig for courtmarshal - Spielberg permits 'none of this' as Hanks and his, nowhapless, unit must face a couple of German Tiger tanks and 15 Germanfoot soldiers equipped with serious hardware - our hero's defend with:machine gun, rifles (a pretty good sniper), sidearms and the makings of'sticky bombs' - socks filled with explosives and covered with'convenient' axle grease, so they will 'stick' to tank Armour. (Theguys are now fighting sock-less, duh!) The battle commences - asfurious as the beach scenes - and all in Hanks unit are killed. Ryansurvives without a scratch, of course! Hanks the last to die (down to asidearm now) as an Allied fighter drops a precision-bomb on theremaining tank that made it to the bridge - directly onto its turret,disabling it.Truly beyond-belief: precision bombing from WW2 fighters is utternonsense, and where were these guys during the 'landing on the beach?';why was Ryan not promptly removed from theater? i.e. why was US Armydiscipline a turkey shoot after the beach landing? Then, of course, we are treated to a return to the opening - a decrepitold man (Ryan now, we understand, we thought it was a geriatric Hanksat the beginning?) in a military graveyard (San Diego Pacific overlook,I think?) -- the surest testament to the stupidity of War -- lookingfor Hank's grave. Ryan asks his wife '... if he was a good man'?Clearly, this miscreant should have been hung or shot back in '44!Production Notes: Score inspired by the opening: "Fanfare for the Common Man", AaronCopland which of course quickly descended into John Williams patentednonsense, yet again.Spielberg, wooden and pandering for cheap emotion as always, other thanthe action scenes which were probably 'actioned' by Spielberg's taskingof the 10 assistant directors on the piece. The beach scene (reality, it happened of course) pointless beyondbelief and an embarrassment to mankind - what military leader would putmen onto a hot-beach without air support or 10" guns blazing fromwarships offshore? A monumental blunder! Spielberg has Hanks report onthe 35 of his men killed after we have see every one hit, egregious!Surround Foley outstanding, as expected.Character assassinations: excellent performance from Tom Sizemore(disciplined, got his Blackhawk Down chops here) and Barry Pepper*(sniper); Hanks quite adequate as Captain, but predictably toodemocratic to survive; Adam Goldberg (first guy to break down) shouldhave been spared from doing the 'Juden' thing to German POW's; GiovanniRibisi underused as was Paul Giammati & Dennis Farina; Jeremy Davies'character, the last guy you would want around; Ed Burns superfluous, aswas Ted Danson; Vin Diesel a joke to his end.* this role cribbed from Sniper: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108171/but Pepper's role a template for 'Enemy at the Gates':http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215750/ the grisly dueling-snipers flick.After a film like this is released to such accolades (sic), why wouldfamily-men be put in harms-way ever again? War=stupidity!

fwgrhouse 2012-05-04 11:56:01

Greatest War Fim Ever

I got this film on DVD for my birthday and I couldn't wait to watch itbecause I had heard some stuff about the movie being very good. After Isaw it I had a much better understanding of how bad war really is. Imean you show a seen at Omaha beach on Jun 6,1944 and the moment theramps go down already the first three or four rows of solider literallyget blown to bits. After that you see more solider get shot, killed,and wounded until some solider finally get up to the bunkers and takeout the Nazis's, and to top all that off you see the beach after itcovered with dead bodies and big puddles of blood. then you hear that 8men have to save 1 man who lost all three of his brothers and aftermore violence you see that of the 8 men sent out only 2 are stillalive. I can't think of any reason why you couldn't be moved by thisfilm. This is a must see film for anyone interested in war films.

Mark Tarshis 2012-05-01 00:05:55

It's a FILM...

It seems that those that are critical of SPR, they are all hypercritical fortheir own personal reasons. Let's back up and look at this movie as a film-because that's all that it is, a film. For those of you that see arepresentation of the Americans as the good ol' boys and the Germans as thebad guys, let's remember the scenes where the Germans were brutally shot atpoint blank range with their hands in the air to surrender. Anyone whomisses the point that the Germans were just as human as the Americans were,misses the point all together as I see it.I don't see where Spielberg makes them look any better or worse than we orany other soldier was in the war.As far as steering from the truth, anyone that has followed ANY historicalmovie knows that there are certain artistic licenses taken to embellish thedepiction. If historic films were depicted one hundred percent as theyactually happened they would ALL fall under the documentary category. Thisis NOT a documentary and shouldn't be judged as such.I purposely don't/haven't watched war films because I abhor violence and theuse of violence as an ends to ANY means. However I saw this film because Ihad heard that it is one of the best representations of what happened onOmaha Beach and the tragedies of war. Never had I been so moved and trulyfelt how horrible it must have been to be there or in any war.It is a film, and just that, a film. An interpretation by Spielberg of whathappened. Be critical of what the film meant to you and how you feel, notof what was in the film.

RFrankPA 2012-04-30 03:30:59

Almost Great

I finally saw SPR on video last night. What a valiant attempt by Spielbergto realistically depict the sacrifices of the allies during the Normandyinvasion and its near aftermath! This is almost a great movie. I hadtroublehearing some of the dialogue, and granted some of the scenes seemed a bittrite, but mostly this film succeeded. I'm also sorry that Blacks andHispanics were not included. Yes, the Germans were portrayed as beingbrutal, particularly Steamboat Willie, but on the other hand there werealsoscenes where Americans ruthlessly shot surrendering Germans. It just goestoshow that war really is hell!None of the comments that I read here focused on the Lincoln letter whichGeneral Marshall quotes by heart in the early part of the film, and laterincorporates into a final letter to Mrs. Ryan. I found this to beextremelyeffective in establishing the overall theme, which was the sacrifice ofourfathers (grandfathers, uncles, etc) on the "altar of freedom." In the end,it was not the brutality of war, but the self-giving sacrifices of theWWIIgeneration which is the main point of SPR.

2012-04-28 22:40:48

I knew it would be good, coming from Spielberg.

I knew it would be good, coming from Speilberg, but this film caught me by surprise. I rented it, stretched out on my recliner & hit the play button. 2 minutes later I was curled into the shape of a bowling ball & crying my eyes out. I had heard about the war scenes from friends, but had been envisioning something like the "Combat" series I had loved as a child. This should be mandatory viewing for anyone considering going into service.

MEHRABIYAZDI 2012-04-28 08:32:09

A moving film

Overall John Williams has come up with a subtle and nice score. I must be honest: I had heard some bad rap about this particular work by Williams, so I approached the purchasing of this score somewhat cautiously.... However when I got home and got a chance to listen to it a few times I really discovered that it was quite charming. I suppose it's wrong to say charming considering the weight of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. It definitely gets the point across. The music is used only where necessary in the film... a good call on part of Steven Spielberg. Williams reflects on the true heart and spirit of the soldier. In the first and last cues: HYMN TO THE FALLEN, and HYMN TO THE FALLEN (REPRISE) he evokes the kind of power and emotion that he's known for. The rest of the score after that takes somewhat of a dip though.... And this acts as my only type of criticism for this piece. It is a little anathematic at times supported only by slinky clarinets and low strings, a little boring in the middle, and that is only added to by the length of many of the cues. However in the end cues #9 and #10 are big pick ups for the score. #9 acts as my favorite cue reprising the main theme and adding a new twist to it, it's very interesting and has an ending that always gives me the Goosebumps... it's haunting in it's simplicity... which is how I can sum up the ENTIRE SCORE! "Haunting in its simplicity"

OldRose 2012-04-27 16:02:50

There was no "good ole days" era in wartime !

More than anything else, I believe that eliminating the above myth (ref:summary, above) was the thesis Spielberg was trying to communicate to theso-called ''allies'' and especially the American public. When one looks atthe attempt at glamour, beginning with TV shows that trivialised theso-called "good war'' in the 1960s (e.g. ''Hogan's Heroes'', ''McCale'sNavy''), not to mention a warehouse full of WW2 flicks where soldiers foughtwith clean uniforms on dirty beaches -- cranked into production beginningnot long after the Japanese surrendered aboard ship with two nuclear holeswhere cities once sat -- one can certainly understand why Spielberg felt theneed to bring home this long-overdue message.Oliver Stone and others have already reminded us of how horrible wasVietnam, and the DMZ on the Korean peninsula is a living reminder of thatwar, but WW2 remained glamourised until relatively recent times. While thefirst 20 minutes of ''Saving Private Ryan'', following a brief but touchingintroduction, have received much ''press'' -- and indeed that stretch offilm is quite an ordeal for the viewer having ANY level of sensitivitywhatsoever to get through -- it is the remainder of the film that willconvince you utterly that war of any kind is a useless waste. Kudos go inabundance to Spielberg & Co. and one quickly envisages at least 6-7 Oscarnominations on the way, to include ''Best Actor'' (Tom Hanks -- who justkeeps getting better and better with age), Spielberg for ''Best Director'',and the film itself for ''Best Picture''. Top rating (5 stars of 5) -- makethat six!

2012-04-26 18:54:14

Every American should see this film.

Too many people today forget the sacrifices that have been made in the name of freedom. I used to listen to my Grandfather tell stories about his experiences in World War II. I used to wonder what he was thinking about during the long pauses in his tales. I used to wonder what horrific things he must have seen and endured. Things he would not talk about. Saving Private Ryan stands as a testament to the horrors of war. I've seen documentarys, and I've read books. I've stood at the veterans cemetary in France and seen the 60,000 graves. But nothing I've ever seen or experienced moved me like this film. I was simply not prepared for what I was about to see. I sat in the theater, watching the slaughter on Omaha Beach, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I know I spent the first thirty minutes of the movie with my mouth wide open. I've seen movie violence, but this wasn't movie violence. It wasn't glorified. It was as if they just went back in time and filmed the D-day invasion. I was deeply moved by this film. I left the theater speechless. My father and I had no words that could describe what we were feeling. I grew up in a military family. I knew the sacrifices that had to be made to keep a Nation free. But I left that theater with a whole new respect for the people who put there lives on the line in the name of freedom. Every American should see this film. We owe it to the people who died in battle to try and understand what they did for us. This movie was a lot to take in...imagine what it would have been like to have been there.

2012-04-24 18:04:35

A Cinematic Masterpiece

Several years ago, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had the opportunity to honor a truly outstanding and groundbreaking film, a film that would withstand the test of time and serve as a benchmark for years to come, it failed. The film was "Citizen Kane". Today, the same can and will be said for "Saving Private Ryan". In recognizing "Shakespeare in Love," the Academy has again failed miserably. When film historians look back several years from now, I'm sure they'll continue to hold "Saving Private Ryan" in high esteem. I wonder if the same will be said for "Shakespeare in Love?" Kudos all around to Steven Spielberg and company for making one of this century's greatest films!!!

Charlotte Cloud 2012-04-24 06:01:57

disgustingly sentimental Americano tosh, but I liked it once...

call me cynical, or perhaps heartless, but on second viewing of thisoverrated film I saw straight through it. When I first saw it I was 13 years old. I was angry andangst ridden, and utterly impressionable. The film affected me. It made me rant for weeksabout what evil "ba*****s" the French must have been during the war, and resent my Frenchand German lessons. I didn't question it because before then I hadn't even seen a moviethat reached the standards of The Shawshank Redemption, not that this is a bad film, on thecontrary, it is beautiful and fantastic, but the point remains that I was decidedly naivewhen I saw it. Fortunately, I have seen the light. I am now a film studies student and Ihave fallen in love with movies that make this one look, well, empty. It's nothing, really, tobe honest, that Stanley Kubrick didn't do better in Full Metal Jacket. Ok, I admit that thefirst scene is well choreographed, well photographed, well conceived and genuinely moving.However, it seems to me that there might have been better ways to go about it, really. Someoneelse would have made a hugely better job of this. And well done Spielburg for Jurassic Parkbut I can never forgive him for inventing the Blockbuster movie with Jaws, paving the wayfor big family-fun action-adventure-explosion-fests. Grrrrrrrrrr. The film was sickeningly sentimental to the point of being really "corny",in every American sense of the world. This is accelerated by the string score, which, like inmost big films that want to pull the heart strings, it tells you, TELLS YOU(!), exactly when youshould be feeling sad. EUGH! And what exactly is with the American flag filling the screenwhilst blowing in the breeze and fading to the D-Day landings? This is such a blatant andscreaming use of patriotic symbolism, it doesn't make me proud, it doesn't make me relate tothe story, it doesn't do anything but make me puke. Seriously. Don't eat me. I love you really.

bestactor 2012-04-20 11:35:18

Despite the harrowing opening, a very average movie

I have seen many WWII movies and this is NOT one of the greatest. Theopening 20 minutes are absolutely disgustingly brutal but the rest of the movie is ahackneyed rehash of so many better movie plots. And ultimately we never know whetherall the effort to save Private Ryan was worthwhile. Was he inspired by his rescuersto be as extraordinary as those who died for him? Did he become ateacher?

Brendan Karch 2012-04-20 03:04:15

Righteous, Embellishing, and slightly Jingoistic

Any movie that opens with a lengthy shot of the American flag hasgotproblems.In general, I thought it superficial, poorly written and poorly directed.Spielberg has a penchant for thrusting his movies upon his viewers, spoon-feeding them morality in doses of banal righteousness. I personally don'tgo to the movies to be treated like a schoolkid and taught a lesson soelementary, vague, and though ultimately true, trite.Those who see Saving Private Ryan as a revelatory view of war obviouslyslept through High School History. War is gruesome, war isn't fun, warsucks. Glad to see the truth Spielberg, but dizzying freehand camera shots,pointless music (the music sucked throughout), and timed successions ofloud booms gave me more of a headache than visceral enlightenment. About 5minutes into the D-Day scene, when the cacophony of camera shots and deadbodies reached its apogee, I asked myself: "Why did Spielberg put this in?Did he have any real reason except to embellish the gruesomeness of war?Does this really contribute to the movie?" I found the answer to beno.Then there's the plot and characters ... wait, what plot and characters?Here are 8(?) men meandering through French territory wondering why theyare all such damn stereotypical and superficial characters. There's thebookworm, the Italian, the Southerner, the Jew, etc. In the end I can'tfeel very much for any of these characters cause they'renot even human to me; they're typecasts. Even Tom Hanks (who does aworthy job), remains distant and emotionally inaccessible (due to poorwriting). (So we know that his hand shakes and he teaches English. BFD)Spielberg could take a lesson from, say, John Sayles, about characterdevelopment.Then there's the plot. From the title, I expected there to be more focus onSaving Private Ryan. Instead, the group wanders through Normandy and thehunt for Ryan becomes unimportant and adventitious. The movie's impetus isseriously lacking, and I accredit this to poor directorial focus. Spielberghad problems finding a point to direct the energy of the war to, andinstead directed it towards some vague moral standard. Unlike, say,Apocalypse Now, where the search for Brando has a singular focus on him,the soldiers wander aimlessly and haphazardly stumble upon Ryan in the mostobtuse and anticlimatic fashion possible. On their way they go through aperfectly crafted sine curve of battles and traumas, discoveries andenlighenments. And as soon as I saw Ted Danson I couldn't help but drift toplace where everybody knows your name and guys in pasty blue uniforms namedCliff down Heneiekens. Now THAT'S poor focus.In the end I could predict flatly what would happen. Yes, it's a true story,so Spielberg was limited, but the presentation was just too flat. Theending is so utterly pitiful and righteous I wanted to puke. "So, this is what the movie came down to?" I thought as the American flagwaved me goodbye. "War is bad. America is good. Death is bad. Life is good." Drink Bud.