Saving Private Ryan

Steven Spielberg directed undoubtedly the most impressive film about World War II. The opening D-Day landing alone shocked me with its brutal depiction, clearly showcasing the horrific slaughter it was. Then we got to know the main combat group that guided the viewers through the film. The cast is top-notch, led by Tom Hanks’s outstanding performance as Captain John Miller. In supporting roles, others also impressed, especially Jeremy Davies (his final near-redemption for a critical mistake was flawless) and Barry Pepper. The journey of all these characters was filmed so authentically by the creators that I believed their struggles with all the obstacles thrown in their path without reservation, and I experienced their encounters with Nazi forces fully, with no shortage of emotions. Technically, I simply have no words. The harmony of every image with accompanying sounds and music is rarely seen... I understand the Oscars received for this. And of course, the battles, which I believe still hold the status of the most successful in the history of cinema in this genre. The ending is epic but not exaggerated, and it is emotionally powerful, squeezing every bit of emotion out of the viewer, you can believe that. My heart swelled at many of the amazing scenes presented by this film. Spielberg made a genuine treasure that should be protected by all available means. Truly a masterpiece. I give it 93%. (09/02/2019)

I remember Irreversible, There Will Be Blood, The Revenant, Children of Men, and Se7en as films that moved me from needing to see a film in terms of its content to being a dusty formalist. This has now also turned me into a bitter poisonous old man swooning at digital semi-animated films with giant resolution and 60 frames, but I won't deny the occasional worry about whether I've just lost my sensitivity over time and simply become cynical. After the last screening of Private Ryan, I can be completely at ease because I didn't blink for 145 minutes (not counting the four terrible scenes that don't take place in Normandy). It's not just about the movement and composition of shots, but also about the material (Kaminski used a chemical to stretch the film windows to desaturate the colors by removing the silver fibers, a method made famous by Khondji in Se7en, by the way) or the acknowledgement and exploitation of technical limitations (fragmentation, the expansiveness of the light sources). All this in angles yet unseen, often giving the impression that the camera was there by mistake. After all, during the opening sequence, many of the actors and extras involved reportedly did not see the camera and crew at all through the smoke, explosions, and pervasive chaos. Not surprisingly, Private Ryan was at the birth of the perception of World War II and is behind the subsequent wave of films, TV shows, and computer games that have attempted to convey that chaos and destruction with a similar intensity to what was achieved here. PS: I recently saw a piece of this film on some modern TV at a friend's house, where the picture is edited to look like it was shot at a higher frame rate, and I nearly kicked the place apart. I'm kinda sad that a lot of people will only see the film in that format anymore. (01/15/2022)

It is certainly not a flawless film, but technically it is so brilliant that I’m happy to forgive all its shortcomings. Steven Spielberg shows us a real war like nobody has before. Tom Hanks is a genius, as well as Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski. For me, the best war film of all time. (11/08/2003)

From a formal point of view, i.e., from the perspective of the film craft, there is not much to criticize about the film, almost nothing. It is an emotionally and extremely expensive blockbuster, which rightfully belongs in film history, especially with its opening 15-minute battle sequence. There could be endless things to say about Steven Spielberg's directing abilities, about how he can work with visual composition, build up a scene, and direct actors - and it would all be praise. However, what concerns me more is the formulaic script, the same problem I had with Spielberg's Schindler's List. When I compare this film to Klimov's drama Come and See, for example, I clearly feel Spielberg's superficiality. To label this film as just a popcorn flick would be grossly unfair, as there are incomparably worse films of its kind. It is undoubtedly an attempt at a serious war drama, but I fail to understand why Spielberg is not satisfied with real stories and real war history and feels the need to produce fiction. Sometimes the unnecessary pathos also bothered me, especially toward the end. Overall impression: 70%. (06/13/2006)

I'm neither a fan nor a great connoisseur of war movies, but show me one that is more emotionally packed than this Spielberg masterpiece. The opening with the Normandy landings will deservedly go down in film history as one of the most impressive scenes ever. The final battle is another perfect display of military strategy, and the film as a whole is a relentless exhibition of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Amazing atmosphere, amazing actors, brilliant camera work and harsh reality in every way. No one will ever make something like that again, I'll bet. (05/31/2012)