Movie review: ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (not) reviewed

FloridaGator80

I have written a review of movie that I did not see and today I’m not writing a review of a film that I’ve seen many times. I wrote a review of “X-Men” without seeing it (don’t be a hater – click here to read it) because I needed to do a review with the title beginning with “X” – it was the last letter of the alphabet that started a film’s title that I reviewed. Now, for the converse. I’m NOT writing a review of “Saving Private Ryan,” which is a magnificent motion picture about the D-Day landings and a special mission in the days following for a squad of U.S. soldiers. “Saving Private Ryan” is so intricate and layers that an amateur reviewer such as myself just can’t do it justice. However, I can not review it well!

‘Saving Private Ryan’
(1998; 169 minutes; rated R; directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore and a supporting cast of … just about everyone in Hollywood)

‘SAVING PRIVATE RYAN’ … THE GOLD STANDARD OF WWII FILMS

I wanted to do a review of the movie “Saving Private Ryan” for today’s 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of World War II. However, I’m not quite qualified enough to examine it (or even do a review like those I’ve written for this blog). I would be lost in such a magnificent, big-screen spectacle such as “Saving Private Ryan.”

(CLICK HERE FOR ALL MY MOVIE REVIEWS)

So, while I’m NOT doing a review, I’ll tell you a little about it and my impressions of impressive work by a few supporting actors.

Actually, the work of all actors in this one is impressive, but several in “Saving Private Ryan” stand above the rest of the performances. Also, I’d say that of WWII films, “The Guns of Navarone” is better acted overall (click here for my review) and is equal to “Saving Private Ryan” as the gold standard of the WWII genre, but “Saving Private Ryan” stands as simply the best film about D-Day (sorry, “The Longest Day”) and co-best for best of WWII movies with “Navarone.”

On the historical side, D-Day was June 6, 1944 and the allies (the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada and volunteers from France, Poland, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Norway and New Zealand) launch the attack that spells doom for Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany in the west.

“Saving Private Ryan” focuses on one U.S. platoon that landed on Omaha Beach at the attack point of Normandy in northern France and ultimately it goes on a mission to find a soldier who the U.S. military wants to save and send home because his three brothers recently died in combat.

At the heart of “Saving Private Ryan” is the story of men and not just about men in combat. Tom Hanks is the headliner as “Capt. John H. Miller” and he’s leading a squad of tough soldiers on a mission where they probably will die to save one other soldier. Each soldier is his own story and you’ll get to know each member of the squad. Oh, yes, it is Matt Damon who plays the title character.

The film shows extreme combat with the most detailed views of maimed and killed soldiers. The opening sequence after the introduction has more violence, gore and destruction than five other WWII films combined. Overall, the film is visually stimulating at all levels and this is part of why it

If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you saw the film and don’t need much more of an explanation. At nearly three hours in length, “Saving Private Ryan” has all the canvas to be the spectacle film that it is and director Steven Spielberg’s attention to every detail is evident.

Let me just write a few words about three supporting actors:

  • The late Dennis Farina was pitch-perfect as “Lt. Col. Walter Anderson” and his quietly understated, yet commanding, presence sends Hanks and his men along their way.
  • Ted Danson, like Farina, does a nice, smooth job as “Capt. Fred Hamill” and he’s an officer the squad meets along the way.
  • Paul Giamatti has a bit more emotional turn as “Sgt. William Hill,” but, then again, his character isn’t an officer.

All three do a somewhat under-appreciated job and I’m not doing my usual telling of their respective resumes.

So, in honor of today’s 75th anniversary of the landings in Normandy in northern France, I am NOT reviewing “Saving Private Ryan.” Still, in honor of the sacrifice of the soldiers that day, please watch the film as well as others. If you choose only one other film, then pick “The Longest Day.” If you’d like a great mini-series that includes the D-Day landings, then check out HBO’s “Band of Brothers.” It is an outgrowth of the production of “Saving Private Ryan” and is equally great.

“Saving Private Ryan” was the No. 1 film at U.S. theaters in 1998 with $216.5 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Coming in second was “Armageddon” with $201.5 million and third was the sensationally funny “There’s Something About Mary” from the Farrelly brothers with $176.4 million. Here are the films from that year that I’ve reviewed:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • “Saving Private Ryan” won five Oscars, including best director for Spielberg. It had six other nominations including best actor for Hanks. Click here to view all the awards for the film …
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Steven Spielberg cast Matt Damon as Private Ryan because he wanted an unknown actor with an All-American look. He did not know Damon would win an Oscar for Good Will Hunting (1997) and become an overnight star before the film was released.”
  • Government censors in India refused to release the film uncut and Spielberg reportedly refused to cut any scene. However, the then-Home Minister of India saw the uncut film, was impressed and it was only then released in that country.
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “The Omaha Beach scene cost $11 million to shoot, and involved up to 1,000 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Army Reserve. Of those extras, twenty to thirty of them were amputees, issued with prosthetic limbs, to simulate soldiers having their limbs blown off.”

© Chuck Curry and A Gator in Naples, 2019.
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Published by FloridaGator80

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