A One Mann’s Movies Film Review of “Saving Private Ryan” (1998).
Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” was released in the UK on September 11th 1998. So, just to make me feel horribly old, it is now over 25 years old. But it still packs a punch on the big screen. When I first saw it, on opening night in a packed cinema, the atmosphere was electric. Especially so for that harrowing opening 15 minutes, which generated walk-outs from some unable to cope with it. (I think I’ve only ever had that surpassed in the screening of “Alien” on its opening day.)
Spin forwards 25 years and I saw this as part of the Everyman ‘Throwback’ series. And even after all this time, it still holds its power: there were some in the auditorium who appeared in a right state as the credits rolled.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
After a gruelling time getting ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) gets given a crackpot mission to go behind enemy lines to find and rescue a James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon). The reason for this is that all three of his brothers have been killed in action and the top brass don’t want the bad PR of his mother attending four funerals. Pretty quickly Miller, and his grumpy troop of subordinates, run into trouble.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong threat, injury detail, disturbing scenes”.)
Talent:
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies.
Directed by: Stephen Spielberg.
Written by: Robert Rodat.
Twitter Handle: #SavingPrivateRyan.
Running Time: 2h 49m.
Just befor the shit really hits the fan. Tom Sizemore and Tom Hanks leads the charge (Source: Paramount Pictures)
“Saving Private Ryan” Film Review:
Positives:
- This is a long old film, clocking in at 11 mintes short of the 3 hour mark. (It is actually Spielberg’s 2nd longest, only beaten by “Schindler’s List”, his only one to top 3 hours). But to its credit, the film never FEELS like a long film, because after the frenetic opening beach assault it never really lets up. It has set-piece after set-piece leading to the brilliantly staged pitched battle in a small French town that is extraordinarily intense. Even though I’ve seen it before, I still find myself gripping my armrests as the bullets zip and the tanks rumble. The ‘knife scene’ (I’m sure you know the one) is utterly savage and quite horrible. It graphically reflects the terror, desperation and ultimately resignation of the poor soldier at the sharp end as well as the disabling terror of the rookie interpreter, Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies), paralysed with fear and huddled on the stairs below. It is a traumatic scene that stays in the memory long after the film has finished.
- Hanks in particular gives one of his best performances. His shell-shocked look in the shallows as he tips a helmet of bloody water over his head is perfection.
- The script has some clever twists. You are never sure who the old veteran at the beginning and end of the film is, with the implication (from the opening edit) that it is the elderly Captain Miller. The reveal is achieved in the finale through an amazingly clever, and technically adept, fade that works brilliantly.
- The film is an amazing who’s-who of famous faces. (It’s not quite up there with “The Longest Day” or “A Bridge Too Far”… but close). As well as Tom Hanks and Jeremy (“Lost”) Davies, Vin Diesel, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson and current Oscar favourite Paul Giovanni all have cameo roles. The film also has an early appearance by an (almost unrecognisable) Andrew Scott playing a soldier on the beach.
- John Williams music… utterly superb.
Negatives:
- The only aspect of the film which I don’t like is the very ending, after we return to the cemetary location. Spielberg lays on the schmaltz where I really don’t think it’s needed. All it needed was the old man (Harrison Young) to whisper “I hope I earned it”, stand up and salute. Playing the scene out for minutes and minutes of hand-wringing and concerned family wincing just let’s the film down a bit, right at the end.
Before they were famous. Irish actor Andrew Scott. (The beach landings were actually filmed in Ireland. (Source: Paramount Pictures)
Is it based on a True Story?
“One of the reasons I’ve found to try to NOT make this a 5* film is that the premise of the story seems so ludicrous. But, amazingly, it is based on a “sole survivor” policy of the US army in WW2 and a specific true incident. The following is quoted from this article on collidor.com:
Rodat began writing Saving Private Ryan after studying the true story of Sergeant Frederick “Fritz” Niland. Fritz Niland’s brothers Preston and Robert had enlisted for service, and his brother Edward had volunteered. In May 1944, Edward was shot down over Burma and presumed dead. In June, Robert was killed on D-Day and Preston was killed on Omaha Beach. Frederick had gone missing during the Normandy Invasion, and the U.S. Army commissioned him to be rescued and sent home. An army unit under chaplain Fr. Francis Sampson identified Frederick’s location and sent him back to his parents Michael and Augusta Niland. Frederick’s brother Edward was also discovered to be alive and was rescued from a Burmese POW camp and also returned home safely. The rescues were the result of the U.S. War Department’s “sole survivor” policy, which was adopted in 1942 after the four Sullivan brothers who served in the U.S. Navy had all been killed during the sinking of the USS Juneau during the Battle of Guadalcanal.”
Article by LIAM GAUGHAN on Collider.com
Now, clearly much of the drama of “Saving Private Ryan” is built around the sending out of Captain Miller’s unit with “the mission is the man” orders, rather than the simpler-sounding ‘identification of his location’. Would a whole unit of crack soldiers be diverted to do this? I still think not.
NOT Ben Affleck
A mistake I made again in this rewatch is being sure that Ben Affleck is in the film. This is because actor Edward Burns is the spitting image of a young Ben Affleck. I spent the first half of the film AGAIN thinking… is it? no? yes? Then he appears alongside Matt Damon in a scene and I think, “oh yes – that’s definitely him”! The power of association! But, you can see what I mean from the photos below!
Ben Affleck (L) in “Pearl Harbour” and Edward Burns (R) in “Saving Private Ryan”. (Source: screenrant.com)
Summary Thoughts on “Saving Private Ryan”
It’s really great, if harrowing, to watch this on the big screen again. Check the Everyman schedules and see if you can catch it!
[fblike]
Trailer for “Saving Private Ryan”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiW_DgxCnQ .
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
Test comment