Movie Reviews
Book reviews

Saving Private Ryan Movie Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books  Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Comedy & Personal Dramas Action Dramas
Actors: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Saving Private Ryan
The movie opens with the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. A polyglot band of American GIs becomes the focus of the movie as they move, through the cleverness of their leader, past the bridgehead, the destruction of a German pillbox, and into the interior. They recieve orders to find a young soldier who has lost 3 brothers, and is therefore, because of a Lincolnesque gesture by George Marshall, going to be brought home. A brief sequence shows the delivery of the message of the sons death to the mother.

The soldiers, looking for the fourth son in the interior of France, engage in occassional combat with the already decimated German Army (some of the Germans look quite youthful) and gripe about the mission. They find Private Ryan (Matt Damon) and engage in more adrenalin jolting combat. The movie is framed with Private Ryan, now years later an old doddering man, visiting the grave of the former squad leader.

--Damon LaBarbera, Resident Scholar

A young soldier's three brothers are killed in the D-Day battle in Normandy. This soldier is sent out on a mission, but never returns. A group of soldiers are sent out to find him and bring him back alive, while dealing with the NAZI's on the way. This tells a powerful story of WWII and what could happen to any soldier in battle.
--Jack Bauer, Resident Scholar

In this World War Two-era film, a young man fighting against the Nazis loses three brothers. As a rule, if a family loses all children but one, the last one gets to come home. A group of eight skilled soldiers embarks on a mission to save Private Ryan and bring him home, while dealing with emotions, Nazis, and each other.
--Jeff, Resident Scholar

This is a great movie showing how unglamorized war really is and gives you a great sense of appreciation.
--Kyle, Resident Scholar

This is an excellent movie about A Captain who is assigned to bring back the only surving brother of four to his mother. This is a movie depicting how hellish war is and you should come out with a better appreciation for our American soldiers and veterans.
--Kyle , Resident Scholar

D-Day(June 6, 1944) land on Normandy. Fight Germans. Given a mission to save the only son an American mother has left (out of 4, alldied in the war). Fight in small battles along the way and finally save him. Fight a final battle in a deserted town and private ryan lives through it to go home.
--Ryan Kellam, Resident Scholar

Following the death of three brothers in battle, the order goes out to find the fourth, a paratrooper possibly lost behind German lines, and bring him safely home to his mother. Captain John Miller (Hanks) leads a group of soldiers on the mission, which not a few of them have mixed feelings about. Steven Spielberg's epic tribute to the "Greatest Generation" through a story set during the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944 has much to praise (the bloody, epic, realistic opening battle scenes on the beaches; the closing battle in a small French town; the generally realistic depiction of war) and plenty to criticize (a rather unlikely story with the usual broad array of "average Americans" in a single platoon of soldiers). How a survivor who wasn't there for everything could recall what happened to the other soldiers is a rather unfortunate plot hole too, yet the results are still visually and emotionally captivating, and unforgettable.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar

It is World War 2. In the wake of the D-Day battle in June of 1944 a mission is presented to military Captain John Miller(Tom Hanks). A private in the military has lost all of his siblings, and the mission is to bring him back home. He is Private James Ryan(Matt Damon). Miller and his company are assigned to find Ryan and to get him out of there.
--Will Dame, Resident Scholar




17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!

Analysis of Saving Private Ryan
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 38%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 26%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 36%



Time/Era of Movie: - 1930's-1950's
War Thriller Yes
Armed Forces: - Army
Specific to - WW II

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - infantry soldier
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Hair color? - brunette (Black)
Hair style - short/standard straight (man)
Body type - average (man)
Events of movie makes character more... - tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Male
Hair style - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - average build (man)
How much in movie? - 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)

Main Adversary
Identity: - enemy army
Profession/status: - infantry soldier
Ethnicity/Nationality - German

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - France
Misc setting - fort/military installation - building - church/synagogue

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gory visuals of deaths and torture
Movie makes you feel... - in awe
How many deaths in film? - hundreds
How much use of techno gadgets? - 2 ()
Kind of violence: - land battles - amphibious landings - mission to rescue - mission to protect something - hand to hand - guns - knives
Unusual forms of death - flamed - drowned - perforation--bullets - perforation--swords/knives
Lot of special effects? Yes
Kinds of F/X - exploding vehicles - exploding bombs
Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking
The Thin Red Line starring Nick Nolte, Jim Caviezel, John Travolta, Ben Chaplin, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, John Cusack
Flying Tigers starring John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly
Back to Bataan
Days of Glory starring Gregory Peck, Tamara Toumanova
The Big Red One starring Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, Kelly Ward, Siegfried Rauch




Saving Private Ryan Message Board (click here)
Movie talk: favorite scenes, what to buy, favorite online
posters, movies for sale on dvd v. rentals.

Search for another movie

Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Damon LaBarbera  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).