Saving Private Ryan
Directed by: Steven Spielberg.
Written by: Robert Rodat .
Actors: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel.
Released: 1999.
MPAA Rating: R.
Length: 170 min.
War.

Brief outline (no spoilers):
During WW2 the Army becomes aware that a mother of four sons will receive the death letters for her sons. It is decided that her last son alive shall be relieved of duty and sent home to his mother. We get to follow Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his team while they try to locate Private Ryan and escort him home.

Personal opinions
This movie is one of the more watchable movies from Steven Spielberg.

Good
The movie gives a very brutal and action packed portrait of the War. The fighting scenes are very breath taking and disturbing. The movie manages to give an emotional portrayal of the camaraderie that bonds soldiers in war together.

Bad
This movie is very critically acclaimed, but a thought in your head during all of the movie is that if the story is plausible. Even if it would be tragic for a mother to have all her sons killed, I do not know of any such policy to have soldiers withdrawn from the war and this was in WW2. It could possible be plausible that it could happen today, but this movie partials the 1940’s. In World War 2 the regard for the soldier’s life was much less prioritized and large causalities on civilians and military was expected in war. It was a different time and war was fought differently than today.

(Possible spoil)
The movie also idealizes the soldiers as heroes. A lot of soldiers get killed in the movie, but most of the main characters in the rescue team miraculously survives until the end, and then dies in a very heroic death. In the end this miraculous team is very low supplies of ammo, but still manages to single handed take out a company well equipped German company of 60 soldiers and two tanks. There is no limits what they can do, a lot of our hero friends die in the end, but that is only after they have been shot a couple of times.

Bottom Line
The movie gives value for you money when it comes to war action, but it has some shortcomings when it comes to the story.
Rating: 6/10 (where 10 is the best).