No. 3 - Saving Private Ryan (1998)

This Time The mission is a man

Rated: R (Restricted) for bloody battles and carnage

Director: Steven Spielberg; Screenplay: Robert Rodat

Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Dennis Farina

Movie Introduction: Captain John Miller and his Army-Ranger company are a part of the Normandy Invasion on D-Day at Omaha beach. Somehow most of his men survive the unbelievable carnage of that day. Their company is next tasked with a unique mission behind enemy lines to find one soldier, a Private James Ryan. Ryan's three brothers were recently killed elsewhere in the war in other engagements. Surrounded by swarming enemy troops, Miller and his men venture through German-occupied France searching for Ryan. Despite their orders, the men begin to question the validity of a mission that risks so much for only one soldier.

Defining Moment: omaha beach

Before seeing Saving Private Ryan, I knew, historically, that the landings at Omaha were brutal for the infantry troops in Normandy, France. I had seen The Longest Day (1962), and had a general idea: our troops landed in LCVT and LST boats. They took on heavy fire and incurred massive casualties from fire rained down on them by German in heavily fortified positions.

I wasn’t prepared for THIS.

This ultra-graphic film depicts the "day of days" like no other. Director Spielberg wanted to recreate this historical milestone as realistic as possible. Praise should be lauded on him and his film crew because they certainly succeeded in that objective.

It is hard to watch. It is loud. It is unforgiving. We see every horrible detail of a mechanized war battle, right down to blood, guts, and airborne severed limbs. Grown men cry out for their mothers. The word "hero" is often over-used. Omaha Beach is where the heroes were made... and most of them died there.  

Something subtle you might have missed: hand shakes

Captain Miller is the company leader. He must show calm strength to inspire confidence in his men. This holds the company together. But inside, he is a mess. His nerves are shot. It takes all he can muster to stay sane and appear in control. There is one small thing, though, that even he cannot control: an occasional twitch of his right hand. The audience is shown his shaking hand a couple of times (as shown on YouTube).  Then his men notice it. Regardless, Miller powers through and does his job. The men trust him. At the film's end, we see his hand one last time, and it's a powerful moment.  

Memorable Quotes:

"The boy's alive, and we are going to send somebody to find him, and we are going to get him the hell out of there." - Gen. George C. Marshall

"But, another part of me thinks... What if by some miracle, we stay... and actually make it outta here? Someday, we might look back on this, and decide that saving private Ryan, was the one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole, god-awful shitty mess. That's what I was thinkin', sir. Like you said Captain, we all do that, we all earn the right to go home." – Sgt. Mike Horvath

Dad's Review:

I originally had Saving Private Ryan outside of the Top50. I had in its place the HBO limited-series masterpiece Band of Brothers, a wonderful examination of World War II, and what the soldiers endured - I highly recommend it, too. However, SPR's impact is more immediate and thoroughly engaging.

I first saw this film with my good friend, and fellow movie-buff, Kevin. The theater was crowded and we had to sit three rows back, so we were really close. The film starts with the invasion of France on Omaha Beach in Normandy. When the opening scene ended, we both sat back, and I could only muster an astonished, "Jesus..."  I looked over at Kev, and he was likewise speechless. I was exhausted. I cannot imagine how those soldiers must have felt in that moment. So many died. But to live through it? What would that do to a person? For God's sake - that day really happened. 

Writing this review is an emotional experience for me. As was common in that day, my Dad and his brothers all signed up. The youngest, Victor, wanted to join the Marines. At age seventeen, he was too young. He begged and begged his mother to sign for him so he could join his three brothers in the service. She eventually agreed, and Victor became a Marine.  As the cruel fates would have it, he was killed on Guam. Luckily, the older brothers all survived the war. Victor manned a flame-thrower on the invasion. He was hit and the fuel tank exploded. He was killed instantly. (In the picture at left, he's the handsome lad on the far right with his mom and brother Paul). 

In this film, early on, there is a scene that destroys me. An army vehicle winds its way toward a Kansas farmhouse nestled within an amber wheat field. A woman is at the sink doing the dishes. She glances up and out the window. When she sees the Army car, it immediately hits her. En route is the messenger no mother ever wants to receive. The car pulls up, the doors open. A general and a pastor step out. She collapses on her porch... No mother should have to bury her child.

After Omaha Beach, we follow a Ranger company of infantry soldiers who have been assigned a special mission to find and rescue a single soldier whose three brothers have already been killed elsewhere in the war. 

At the heart of the film is this simple question: How can one man be worth the lives of several men? Private Ryan has parachuted deep into an active war zone! He could be injured, captured or worse 0 dead. Regarless, in the Army, orders are orders, so Capt. Miller must lead his men into France.

This was a war film like no other. Every skirmish is heart-breaking. It seems so futile; a complete waste of men and munitions. And for what? To find a lone soldier, when so many are dying all around them. The men start to question their orders, but Capt. Miller keeps them moving, always forward.

The answer may be as simple as this: in such chaos, where men are killing each other by the thousands, perhaps we need something, a tent peg, and to that anchor, we tether our humanity.

The film was nominated for eleven Oscars, winning five, including Best Director. I was very surprised that it did not win Best Picture (It lost to Shakespeare in Love, a great film, but not on this level.)

For my children and anyone who reads this review: Please watch this film.  Everyone needs to understand the sacrifice this generation of American soldiers paid. For me. For you. I know it will be difficult, but please do this for me. Thanks in advance.

Onto No. 4... Cheerless Columbidae