A once-in-a-generation, genre-defining masterpiece

Saving Private Ryan is the quintessential World War II movie, a landmark war film that single-handedly contemporised the genre for a new generation of audiences and continues to influence filmmakers over twenty years later. Instead of another sanitised or sentimentalised war picture about honour and glory in the Old Hollywood mould, Saving Private Ryan is a brutally honest depiction of WWII that portrays courage and fear in the face of extreme terror. In addition, director Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List) disposes of the all-in-good-fun tone of classic war flicks like Kelly's Heroes and The Great Escape, avoiding another Hollywoodised depiction of the Second World War to create something more true-to-life. Although Spielberg is renowned for his fun blockbusters (Jaws, Jurassic Park) and pulpy action-adventures (Indiana Jones), Saving Private Ryan is a darker movie that shows the director's mature side, verifying his ability to create more than just lightweight entertainment. Saving Private Ryan is not necessarily enjoyable, but it is tremendously compelling and never feels like dull homework.

In the days following the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, the United States Department of War realises that three brothers from the same family were killed in action. A fourth brother, James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), parachuted into Normandy with the 101st Airborne Division and is missing behind enemy lines. The tragedy draws the attention of General George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell), the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, who orders Ryan to be found and brought home immediately to spare his mother the pain of losing all her sons. Officers in Normandy allocate the mission to Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), who survived the assault on Omaha Beach with his second-in-command, Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore). Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath gather a squad of soldiers to complete the assignment, including combat medic Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), religious sniper Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper), the rebellious Richard Reiben (Edward Burns), Jewish trooper Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg), the compassionate Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel), and inexperienced interpreter Timothy Upham (Jeremy Davies). The expedition into Nazi-occupied territory is fraught with danger as they encounter German forces at every turn, and the men begin to question why they are risking their lives to save one man.

Similar to films like The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes, Saving Private Ryan is an old-fashioned "men on a mission" tale that tells a fictitious story within a historical context. Although the Ryan brothers did not exist, screenwriter Robert Rodat (Fly Away Home) was inspired by books and historical accounts of multiple soldiers in a single family, including the Sullivan brothers (all five of whom were killed in action) and the Niland brothers (whose story primarily inspired the film). With Spielberg committed to utmost authenticity and striving for the best possible movie, Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) and Scott Frank (Dead Again) performed uncredited rewrites on Rodat's script based on the testimonials of surviving veterans. The result earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Historian Stephen E. Ambrose, who wrote a book about the Niland brothers, also served as the production's historical consultant and pushed for combat accuracy, including the suffering of soldiers who slowly died in mud and water while desperately calling out for morphine and their mothers. Even the best historical movies can feel like homework, including Spielberg's own Schindler's List, but Saving Private Ryan easily maintains interest with its exhilarating battle sequences.

The philosophical themes of Saving Private Ryan concern the value of a single human life. The eight-man squad suffers casualties as they work to track down Ryan behind enemy lines, but is he worth it? Are some lives more important than others? Is it worth saving Ryan for his mother's sake, even though the other men also have families? What if Ryan is already dead, and the mission is for nothing? The soldiers' loyalties blur as they question the necessity of the mission, which several of them believe is "FUBER." Even top-ranking military officers in the War Department question General Marshall about the mission, while some of Captain Miller's men believe the operation is a gross misallocation of military resources. Spielberg frames Saving Private Ryan's story around an elderly veteran visiting the Normandy Cemetery with his family, and the imagery of the endless rows of graves combined with the emotional impact of the man breaking down and crying amplifies the story's humanity. It underscores the intense mental and emotional scars that veterans carry for decades after war, and the final scene of the veteran speaking to his fallen friend's grave contributes to the story's thematic and philosophical undercurrents.

Each member of Miller's squad is unique and identifiable, making it easy to feel connected to the soldiers because they carry distinct personalities and traits - for example, Jackson prays while lining up each shot, Horvath collects dirt from each country he visits, and so on. As a result, each death feels more acutely devastating. The simple but effective characterisations also break another longstanding cliché from classic war films to allow for heightened realism, as Spielberg reminds us that everyday people fought in wars instead of larger-than-life men of action. The casting is another considerable strength, with Tom Hanks (who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance) showing more of his incredible dramatic range here, while a young Matt Damon makes a terrific impression as Private Ryan. With the actors going through boot camp to help prepare for shooting, they believably carry themselves, from their fire and movement tactics to handling weapons and equipment. Spielberg also let the cast improvise, leading to authentic moments of character interaction that feel raw and real, such as Ryan telling Miller about the last time his brothers were together before leaving for basic training. Additionally, Spielberg recruited several terrific performers to fill the supporting cast, from Paul Giamatti and Ted Danson as experienced soldiers to Bryan Cranston as a War Department staff officer and a young Nathan Fillion as another James Ryan.

Saving Private Ryan redefined the war genre with its aesthetic choices that remain influential, from its grainy, handheld cinematography and desaturated colour palette to the graphic violence and layered sound design that puts you in the thick of battle. Although Spielberg uses minor CGI to enhance the visuals, the director was committed to practical effects, relying on intricate sets, location shooting, blood squibs, stunts, fire, and explosions, making the film feel tactile and real. Thousands of extras took part in the production, including reserve and full-time members of the Irish Army (like Mel Gibson's Braveheart), which heightens the sense of scope and realism. The painstaking attention to period detail is also astonishing, with accurate costumes and weaponry, while the thorough recreation of Omaha Beach, complete with the overcast skies and dense smoke, bursts with authenticity. Additionally, Janusz Kamiński's meticulous handheld cinematography further contributes to the illusion. Shooting with various lenses, removing the protective coating for a flatter image, and keeping the camera at eye level without any sweeping crane shots, the film resembles the work of combat cameramen during WWII.

Violence in war films had started to progress since the sanitised era of classical old Hollywood movies, with productions like Hamburger Hill, The Big Red One, and Stalingrad packing an R-rated punch. However, the visceral impact of Saving Private Ryan is next level, portraying the gory realities of war in an uncompromising yet tasteful and palatable way, prompting veterans to applaud Spielberg for his efforts. Spielberg does not shy away from the gory details of war, using blood squibs and graphic prosthetics to depict the impact of bullets and explosions on the human body. Spielberg hits the ground running with a gripping set piece that vividly depicts the D-Day Omaha Beach landings in 1944. Chaos reigns as bullets whiz through the air, artillery shells ferociously explode in the sand, soldiers drown while trying to escape the machine guns, and nobody is safe, regardless of rank. However, the battle does not amount to an incoherent string of carnage - the American soldiers use tactics and strategy to advance up the beach, leading to their extremely costly victory. The Omaha Beach sequence is nearly half an hour long and is still one of the most enthralling, intense and devastating filmic portrayals of combat in history. Likewise, the climactic battle in the ruins of a French village is gripping and memorable.

Spielberg recruited frequent collaborator John Williams to oversee the music, and the resulting score significantly adds to the picture's poignant impact and power, earning the composer a well-deserved Oscar nomination. (Williams lost to composer Nicola Piovani for the Holocaust film Life Is Beautiful.) Wisely, Williams's music does not accompany the combat sequences as Spielberg lets the battles speak for themselves, relying on the soundscape of bullets and explosions instead of music. Spielberg believes music reminds audiences that they are watching a movie, which breaks the sense of immersion. The sound design and editing earned the picture additional Oscar gold, and for good reason, since the immersive, meticulous soundscape authentically recreates the aural experience of being in war, including the distant sounds of gunfire, explosions, and approaching tanks. The masterful, painstaking staging and technical execution of Saving Private Ryan deservedly earned Spielberg an Academy Award for Best Director.

Saving Private Ryan is a rare, once-in-a-generation masterpiece that redefines the possibilities of the war genre, leading to countless imitators that replicate the aesthetic to mixed results. The picture clocks in at a beefy 169 minutes, yet it carries a gripping storytelling economy thanks to the Oscar-winning editing by Spielberg's long-time collaborator, Michael Kahn. Spielberg covers a lot of ground (literally and metaphorically) during the film, incorporating vicious battles and subdued moments of character interaction, but nothing feels inessential; if anything, there is room for more. (A deleted action sequence showed how the squad lost their jeep at the start of the mission, but the excised scene remains unseen as of 2025.) Saving Private Ryan also paved the way for more big-budget WWII productions, with Spielberg and Hanks even producing three acclaimed television miniseries: Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Masters of the Air. Controversially, Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This decision only grows more baffling with each passing year as Spielberg's film remains at the forefront of pop culture consciousness while the Oscar-winning period love story has been relegated to relative obscurity.