Saving Private Ryan

Yes, I like war films. Yes, Spielberg's technical processing of the film seems to bring fiction as close as possible to the reality of war. Still, I consider this film to be only slightly above average, because it says nothing about the war as such. It's a nice recruitment drive on the subject of all of us in the army are friends and we love each other, which is nice, but it feels just like the colored drawings on the promotional posters from World War II. I don't believe even a syllable of the story, so the film only gets points with me for the fight sequences (which are truly riveting) and excellent acting performances. I prefer to overlook the agitation subtext... (2004-01-27)

From the first to the last scene, amazingly conceived, every shot engrosses you, until you feel that a bullet might fly towards you any moment, and the impact is so significant that I can't get it out of my head for a few days after watching it. I only have a slight issue with how enormous and somewhat unnecessarily grandiose it is, that Spielberg doesn't hold back on his desire for big stories even a bit. But that would be complaining about something I usually praise. I do appreciate, though, how the director, who is often criticized for being family-oriented and kind, can brilliantly turn all these criticisms upside down. (2006-01-21)

My friend told me that during the opening scene of the landing on Omaha Beach, she wanted to run out of the theater, but she was so hypnotized by what was happening on the screen that she stayed seated. This is a film purely for the big screen and good sound, where bullets fly around you and you feel that you are physically there with them, that you are part of the action. The first half hour has become legendary. (2003-04-13)

I first saw the film over ten years ago. And I was thrilled. The second time I saw it was five years ago, and I was still thrilled. Today, on the third viewing, it was glaringly obvious how dumb the story is, and it's really just about having a touching finale so the old man can deliver his lines. It's pathetic how Spielberg preaches, but it's still a good movie. The landing is unbeatable. (2016-03-30)

It is certainly not a flawless film, but technically it is so brilliant that I’m happy to forgive all its shortcomings. Steven Spielberg shows us a real war like nobody has before. Tom Hanks is a genius, as well as Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski. For me, the best war film of all time. (2003-11-08)