Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is one of the best war films ever made, if not the best war film ever made! It's the 'least' Spielberg-directed film - the usage of profanity and handycams deviate from the director's usual filmmaking SOP, but that just goes to show how versatile the man is as a storyteller by pushing himself to do things he may not be comfortable with solely because the project requires it.

The content is rather simple. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is tasked, as per direct order from the top, to find a Ryan; the last surviving brother of three army men killed in action. How his troop pursues this person forms the crux. Finding the wrong Ryans, searching tags of dead comrades to defending a fortress bridge are some of the hurdles encountered in this tough journey.

The opening assault on American soldiers landing at Omaha Beach is one of the most brutal, visceral and real time portrayal of cinematic warfare, ever! With bodies dropping every second, bullet penetration into deep water, servicemen picking up their torn body parts and slow-mo effect to communicate the moment's impact, the level of intensity shown in this 27-minute edited beauty is something else entirely! The same can be said about the climactic skirmish, and each of this battle sequence has clear geography and line of action - you know what the guys are doing, where they are headed and what's their goal, at all times. You'll be familiar with the squad without much effort as their conversations and banters are highly interesting! Sniper attack to save Caparzo (Vin Diesel) and the kid, wall tumbling to reveal enemy's hive, Upham (Jeremy Davies) finding out the meaning of FUBAR, Private Ryan (Matt Damon) narrating a story about his brothers, boys treating Wade the medic (Giovanni Ribisi), pool bet on Captain's past and the latter's commotion with Reiben (Edward Burns) who wishes to leave the mission but receives Miller's history in return are some of the most remarkable scenes in Saving Private Ryan!

The casting is rich and the performances are a roundhouse! Every technical aspect perfection can be seen here! John William's epic score, Janusz Kamiński's skillful cinematography, immaculate production design, realistic prosthetics, groundbreaking special and practical effects plus out-of-the-world sound mixing and design are a set of premium quality work you'll have to witness for yourself!