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Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel ... see more see more... , Adam Goldberg , Barry Pepper , Giovanni Ribisi , Matt Damon , Dennis Farina , Ted Danson , Harve Presnell , Dale Dye , Bryan Cranston , David Wohl , Paul Giamatti , Ryan Hurst , Harrison Young , Max Martini , Dylan Bruno , Nathan Fillion

Steven Spielberg directed this powerful, realistic re-creation of WWII's D-day invasion and the immediate aftermath. The story opens with a prologue in which a veteran brings his family to the America... read more read more...n cemetery at Normandy, and a flashback then joins Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) and GIs in a landing craft making the June 6, 1944, approach to Omaha Beach to face devastating German artillery fire. This mass slaughter of American soldiers is depicted in a compelling, unforgettable 24-minute sequence. Miller's men slowly move forward to finally take a concrete pillbox. On the beach littered with bodies is one with the name "Ryan" stenciled on his backpack. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell), learning that three Ryan brothers from the same family have all been killed in a single week, requests that the surviving brother, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon), be located and brought back to the United States. Capt. Miller gets the assignment, and he chooses a translator, Cpl. Upham (Jeremy Davis), skilled in language but not in combat, to join his squad of right-hand man Sgt. Horvath (Tom Sizemore), plus privates Mellish (Adam Goldberg), Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), cynical Reiben (Edward Burns) from Brooklyn, Italian-American Caparzo (Vin Diesel), and religious Southerner Jackson (Barry Pepper), an ace sharpshooter who calls on the Lord while taking aim. Having previously experienced action in Italy and North Africa, the close-knit squad sets out through areas still thick with Nazis. After they lose one man in a skirmish at a bombed village, some in the group begin to question the logic of losing more lives to save a single soldier. The film's historical consultant is Stephen E. Ambrose, and the incident is based on a true occurance in Ambrose's 1994 bestseller D-Day: June 6, 1944. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Critics

93% liked it

95 critics

R, 2 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: July 24, 1998

Keywords: action, sad, war

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DVD Release Date: November 2, 1999

Stats: 54,880 reviews

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Miller Captain John H. Miller Saving Private Ryan Scene for Saving Private Ryan (1998) Tom Hanks Reiben Saving Private Ryan Scene From Saving Private Ryan (1998) Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan Private James Frederick Ryan Vin Diesel D-Day, German Side Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan Tom Hanks private ryan
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Flixster Reviews (54,880)

  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    I remember when "Saving Private Ryan" first hit theaters, some theaters banned children under 17 to go watch the movie, even with their parents. I still remember many of the stories of countless audience members walking out with shuddering and trembling hands as if they were enac... read moreted some part in the horrible battles of World War II. This is by far, the best portrayal of the realistic horrors of war ever.

    Spielberg takes the war to the audiences through extremely gritty handheld camerawork, cinematography, and raw violence. "Saving Private Ryan" revolutionized the way to incorporate realistic camerawork which sparked a devout following for such impressive camerawork scenes like "Children of Men" and the horrible "Terminator Salvation". The skirmishes the soldiers face in the war is not something to behold as entertainment, but duties that are to be done for the sake of their mission. This movie set the bar for war films. I must warn everyone -- this is not for the faint of heart.

    The only downside to this epic is the screenplay outside of these skirmishes; its not that its cheesy -- its just overly simple. Still "Saving Private Ryan" is an arresting spectacle that is to be experienced by any movie-goer due to its convincingly raw portrayal.
  • aquateen2
    February 25, 2012
    aquateen2
    Saving Private Ryan. The best war film i've ever seen. Second only to Jurassic Park as my favorite of Spielberg's films. Tom Hanks plays his role excellently, and one I wouldn't expect him to do after watching Big. An amazing screenplay and realistic action sequences and one of t... read morehe best ensemble casting i've ever seen. Saving Private Ryan changes the image of the war film genre undoubtedly for future anti war films and is an amazing emotional experience.
  • jamers2011
    January 13, 2012
    jamers2011
    A masterpiece! One of the best war movies ever made.
  • c0up
    January 8, 2012
    c0up
    'Saving Private Ryan'. A stunning portrait of war told from the front line through the beautiful direction of Steven Spielberg.

    I've always like Spielberg, but in terms of technical skill in direction, he never stood out. My eyes have been opened. The 25 minute opening sequence ... read moreis a gritty, arresting, cinematic wonder, portraying the sheer scale of lives lost and the futility of life in the senselessness of war.

    I deeply regret not seeing this in a theatre!
  • fb733768972
    January 5, 2012
    fb733768972
    I have seen quite a few war films throughout my life, and I have been able to hold on to some of the as some of the best war films ever made. After viewing "Saving Private Ryan," I began to realize what has been missing in my favourites throughout the years, compelling characters... read more that truly left an impact on me, well after the movie ended. As private Ryan's (Matt Damon) three brothers are murdered in the D-Day war, Tom Hanks leads a team of soldiers to tell Mr. Ryan about the tragic occurrence. The government is requesting that he come home and see the rest of his family, but what they don't realize is that his new family is right there with him. This has one of the most riveting stories that I have ever seen on screen, and it is probably the best war film of all time. "Saving Private Ryan" is the only film that I have ever seen, that takes real life situations, places them in a war, makes you believe every character, and dazzles you with war scenes that are maybe a little too realistic. This is one of the best films I've ever seen!
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    November 26, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    There was only one man left in the family, and the mission was to save him.

    Saw it again! Great Film by the great Spielberg. Amazing cinematography, story, editing,acting, simply everything all-around! You need to see this film, the very first part and the end are simply mind-bl... read moreowing!

    Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members from 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back home to his mother...
  • fb7018436
    November 21, 2011
    fb7018436
    How the hell did shakespeare in love beat this movie for the oscar? The academy is retarded.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    October 22, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Very well shot. Very well written. Very well cast. Very well made all together. It's incredibly sad and just gives you a look into what these poor men went though. Either side of the field, these men were told to kill or be killed. The amazing beach invasion really takes you to t... read morehat place, however my favourite and most shocking shot of the whole film is the aerial of all the white crosses in rows and rows - and that's only a small portion of the people killed. Imagining being in that situation is devastating and makes me thankful to not have to do that. This is all created by Spielberg's fantastic skills with a team that does the war heros justice. A must watch; even if you see it only once.
  • fb1216165431
    October 3, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Raw and realistic, Saving Private Ryan is a violent depiction of World War II by Steven Spielberg enhanced by an outstanding performance by Tom Hanks. A haunting commemorative of the past, Saving Private Ryan incites an intimate inspection of history. Harrowing.
  • DreamExtractor
    October 1, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Saving Private Ryan is tied with Apocalypse Now as my favorite war film ever, and is to this day the best World War 2 film ever. What makes this film so tremendously amazing is the history, the realism, and the plot. After all three of his brothers die in combat the military wa... read morents Private James Ryan (matt damon sent home to his mother. They assign the mission to find him to Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his men. On the way we learn more and more about these men, and the truth that they feel that this mission might be the most honorable thing they ever do before they die. Saving Private Ryan starts of on the island of Okinawa, and is considered (and I agree) the greatest and most realistic war scene ever made. Tom Hanks leads an amzing cast but Tom steals the show, he is so geniusly realistic and proves he can be emotionly great and can possibly play any role there is to play, and I also think Matt Damon shows near the end what a great actor he is and there is a story about his brothers that always makes me cry. The plot is simple, they must bring back Private Ryan to his mother, but the story is not simple, its a unit traveling and risking there lives for this boy, there pride, and there futures. The war scenes in this film are so realistic and cool that you will have much respect for the men who lost there lives in WW2. Many people have told me that this movie is too vulgar and blloody for them, and all I tell them is that saving Private Ryan is not about blood and culgarity, its about the emotions and the dramatic and heart felt moments, and its about the horrors of war, and of soldiers who had to leave there lives to serve not just there countries, but the world.

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Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
September 9, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

No further commentary is needed when the raw brutality of combat is presented as indelibly as it is here. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

I found it tediously manipulative despite its Herculean energy. Full Review

Liam Lacey
July 12, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The greatest Steven Spielberg movie since the last great one? Sure. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

A powerful and impressive milestone in the realistic depiction of combat, Saving Private Ryan is as much an experience we live through as a film we watch on screen. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

For those who are willing to brave the movie's shocking and unforgettable images, Saving Private Ryan offers a singular motion picture experience. Full Review

Richard Schickel
January 1, 2000
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

A war film that, entirely aware of its genre's conventions, transcends them as it transcends the simplistic moralities that inform its predecessors, to take the high, morally haunting ground.

John Hartl
January 1, 2000
John Hartl, Film.com

Feels like the first truly honest attempt to deal with the horrors of combat - and the terrible responsibility shared by all survivors.

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

For all the care and thoughtfulness that follow in the story, I never could shake the impression that all I was watching was every other war film Spielberg had ever seen. Full Review

Ted Fry
January 1, 2000
Ted Fry, Film.com

Gripping and satisfying in a way that no mere summer event movie could ever be.

Bob Graham
January 1, 2000
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Launches and climaxes with two of the greatest extended battle sequences ever put on film. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Pvt. Mellish: Your father was circumcised by my Rabbi you prick!
    • Capt. John Miller: You're the doctor! Tell us what you need!
    • T/4 Medic Wade: I... could use... some more... of those painkillers...
    • Pvt. Caparzo: Really? You're gonna shoot me?
    • Corporal Henderson: I'm gonna shoot you 'cause I don't like you!
    • T/4 Medic Wade: Momma... I'm comin' home... Momma... Momma... [dies]
    • Pvt. Caparzo: Don't shoot! Let 'em burn!
    • Capt. John Miller: Ryan... earn it. Earn it...
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Saving Private Ryan Trivia

  • Which movie did not win an Academy Award for Best Picture?  Answer »
  • This actor plays the role of Private Adrian Caparzo, in Saving Private Ryan. Name Him?  Answer »
  • what was the profesion of Tom Hanks' character in the film "Saving Private Ryan"?  Answer »
  • In "Saving Private Ryan", How many brothers did Private Ryan lose in the war?  Answer »
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