Movie Review #16 - Saving Private Ryan (1998)

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for:

Movie Synopsis:

Captain John Miller takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realties of war, while searching for Ryan, each man embarks upon a personal journey and discovers their own strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honor, decency and courage.

MPAA Rating: R

The Good: Amazing story, acting, and editing.
The Bad: Quite a bit of language, and the amount of violence is not for everyone.

Why I Watched it:

I have a watchlist of R rated movies, and this one has been at the top for some time now.

My Thoughts (no penny needed):

I'm not a huge fan of Steven Spielberg, but this film really shines. Literally almost everything is perfection in this film. The acting is amazing, the cinematography is spot-on, and the editing was amazing.  John Williams really let me down here, compared to everything else he has done, I feel like this one was a little lackluster in comparison.
The personal journeys each character embark on are very well crafted, but I feel it would take 3 or 4 viewings to really connect with everyone. I really liked some characters, was indifferent on others, and some I didn't care for or felt unnecessary.
The pacing is hard, but works. The opening scene is riveting, realistic, and intense. Not much can be said about this film that hasn't already been said.

A very, very, powerful film.

The Characters:

John Miller: Tom Hanks never stood out to me in much, but boy.... He is amazing in this.

Private Daniel Jackson: Sniper. Christian. Super awesome.

Private Caparzo: Vin Diesel doing some cool stuff, some dumb stuff, and then dying.

Private Reuben: This was a very forgettable character to me. I had to look up this guy's name.

Steamboat Wille: I am slow to say I hate people. But I hate this guy. A very thought provoking character and menacing villain.

Private Mellish: Almost antagonistic at the beginning, this was one of my favorites. He resents Ryan so much, but when they finally find him, he stands his ground.

Private James Ryan: Matt Damon before he was big. His storytelling scene, his bravery and military chops shape him into a complex and admirable character.

My Favorite Character: Private Daniel Jackson
My Favorite Scene: "I'm a schoolteacher. I teach English composition."

Final Ratings:

Note: Ratings go up to 10, 1 being the worst.

Hero Scale: 10

Directing: 10

Acting: 10

Visual Effects: 10

Cinematography: 10

Score: 8

Writing: 10

The Movie as a Whole: 9.5

Thanks for reading my fifteenth review, you super awesome person!