Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Front Cover Actor
Tom Hanks Capt. John Miller
Edward Burns Pvt. Richard Reiben
Tom Sizemore Sgt. Michael Horvath
Matt Damon Pvt. James Ryan
Jeremy Davies Cpl. Timothy E. Upham, Interpreter
Adam Goldberg Pvt. Stanley Mellish
Barry Pepper Pvt. Daniel Jackson (sniper)
Giovanni Ribisi Pvt. Irwin Wade, Medic
Vin Diesel Pvt. Adrian Caparzo
Ted Danson Capt. Fred Hamill
Movie Details
Genre Action; Drama; War
Director Steven Spielberg
Producer Ian Bryce; Mark Gordon
Writer Robert Rodat
Studio Dreamworks; Paramount Pictures
Language Czech
Audience Rating R
Running Time 170 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
Based on a World War II drama. US soldiers try to save their comrade, paratrooper Private Ryan, who's stationed behind enemy lines.

When Steven Spielberg was an adolescent, his first home movie was a backyard war film. When he toured Europe with Duel in his 20s, he saw old men crumble in front of headstones at Omaha Beach. That image became the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, his film of a mission following the D-day invasion that many have called the most realistic--and maybe the best--war film ever. With 1998 production standards, Spielberg has been able to create a stunning, unparalleled view of war as hell. We are at Omaha Beach as troops are slaughtered by Germans yet overcome the almost insurmountable odds.

A stalwart Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier, who takes a small band of troops behind enemy lines to retrieve a private whose three brothers have recently been killed in action. It's a public relations move for the Army, but it has historical precedent dating back to the Civil War. Some critics of the film have labeled the central characters stereotypes. If that is so, this movie gives stereotypes a good name: Tom Sizemore as the deft sergeant, Edward Burns as the hotheaded Private Reiben, Barry Pepper as the religious sniper, Adam Goldberg as the lone Jew, Vin Diesel as the oversize Private Caparzo, Giovanni Ribisi as the soulful medic, and Jeremy Davies, who as a meek corporal gives the film its most memorable performance.

The movie is as heavy and realistic as Spielberg's Oscar-winning Schindler's List, but it's more kinetic. Spielberg and his ace technicians (the film won five Oscars: editing (Michael Kahn), cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), sound, sound effects, and directing) deliver battle sequences that wash over the eyes and hit the gut. The violence is extreme but never gratuitous. The final battle, a dizzying display of gusto, empathy, and chaos, leads to a profound repose. Saving Private Ryan touches us deeper than Schindler because it succinctly links the past with how we should feel today. It's the film Spielberg was destined to make. --Doug Thomas

Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 78
In Collection Yes
Links IMDB
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Any Region
Screen Ratio 1.85 (16:9) Letterboxed
Layers Single side, Single layer
UPC 667068443325
Release Date 1999
Subtitles English
Audio Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 - English
Nr of Disks/Tapes 2
Notes
Disc 1: Chapters 1-11

Disc 2: Chapters 12-21 - and -

Exclusive interview with Steven Spielberg, and "Into the beach" documentary.
Extra Features
Color Closed-captioned Widescreen Dolby