Saving Private Ryan

Of the four movies I’ve put in my favorites list on this site, “Saving Private Ryan” represents the one I am the least sure of. Yes, I love the movie, but I’m not sure it deserves such high billing. I rewatched the film again this week, as my little brother watched it for the first time, and I’m leaning towards taking it out, even though it’s undeniably a great film.

Steven Spielberg’s 1998 war movie follows a group of soldiers during World War II led by Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) as they attempt to find and bring home Private Ryan (Matt Damon). Ryan’s three brothers have recently died during the war, and for a PR boost the powers that be decided to spare this sibling if possible. So Miller leads his squad of Tom Sizemore (Sergeant Horvath), Edward Burns (Private Reiben), Barry Pepper (Private Jackson), Adam Goldberg (Private Mellish), Vin

I’m not sure how much this decreased emotional reaction should count against “Saving Private Ryan,” but it’s worth noting.

Finally, another drawback I found with this film is the score by the legendary John Williams. It’s a great score, patriotic and moving, but it’s not especially memorable or groundbreaking. That’s especially the case when compared with some of Williams’ other work. So while still better than most film scores, it’s not among Williams’ finest.

In totality, “Saving Private Ryan” is a superb film, one of the finest of its genre. The acting is perfect, the directing and cinematography peerless, the sound, production design and special effects fantastic, and the screenplay marvelous. While I found it slightly less moving this time around, and the score less effective, these aren’t huge detractions from the movie. So, while it may not qualify as worthy of being listed among four of my favorite movies, it’s definitely in the