Customer Reviews

Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(768)
4 star:		(122)
3 star:		(87)
2 star:		(64)
1 star:		(81)

 

 

Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film, Saving Private Ryan, is one movie that is so powerful, any words to describe it, seem hollow and over-used. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the film is re-released on DVD, this time, in a 2 disc set, complete with extras.

The film opens as the fateful D-Day invasion of World War II begins. Spielberg gives you very little time to prepare yourself for the images that you are about to see. The constantly moving camera during the first half hour of the film, creates a dizzying and gut-wrenching effect, not for the timid, combined with realistic sound and battle footage, it's quite an experience. My hats off to Spielberg and film editor, Michael Kahn, for what must have been a tough sequence to complete.

After the "battle on the beach", Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks in his best role since Philadephia-before and after) leads a small squad of men, behind enemy lines, to search for the only surrviving son of the Ryan family, Jim Ryan (Matt Damon). His other three brothers were killed in combat. Facing impossible odds, the members of the team, question why they are doing all of this to save one guy...It's up to Miller to keep everyone focused in order for the mission to be completed.

The rest of the squad is made up of some fine actors. Edward Burns Proves he can act outside of his own films. Then unknown, Vin Diesel, makes a lasting impression with his performance. Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jeremy Davies, all come together quite nicely under Spielberg's leadership. The script by Robert Rodat is powerful and only resonates louder because of the care that seemed to go into making the film. As usual, composer John Williams, puts the so-called "icing on the cake", with another powerhouse score for a Spielberg film.

As someone who already owns the the DTS version DVD, I was disappointed that, save for a few trailers, there were no other extras. For this edition, Spielberg documentarian Laurent Bouzereau, put together a 75 minute look at how the film made its way to the big screen (found on disc 2). Topics include-historical research, the screenplay, casting, how the cast trained for the rigors of shooting, recreating D-Day, the music and sound for the film, and finally a few parting words from the director. Most of the documentary, aside from the interviews with composer John Williams and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, seems to be stuff culled from other material--at the time of filming or its initial release. Despite the "dated" material though, it's still worth your time, to see how it all came together.

My only wish: When Spielberg's Schindler's List hit DVD, I said that to do the film justice, you needed both historical background and behind the scenes material. Schindler only had historical perspectives, in contrast, Ryan's extras only deal with the film itself. I would have liked to know more without having to look elsewhere.

Saving Private Ryan is a must have DVD for your collection in any form

Shocking even for an ex infantry man...the first 20 minutes on the beaches of Normandy had me on the edge of my sit with tears rolling down my face. I recall the anxiety I was feeling watching the soldiers get hammered on the French beach. It was a totally brilliant cinematic sequence which places you first person in the middle of a battle.
I truly beleive this is a must see for the younger generation who may not know what their grandparents/ great grandparents did to save the world from Nazi Germany 60+ years ago.
For the war movie fan you can't miss it.
One of the all time great war movies.

Maybe one of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen. Which is one of the cons for the movie because not all ages would know of serious impact of World War II.

It was a true story of Friendship and Loyality. Touching to the heart and true to the soul. Saving Private Ryan is one of the Best Movies I've ever seen in my life. It will stay with you forever. Even if you think Romance is the only way. Or if you like only comedies, this movie will amaze you in many ways.

I highly Reccommend.

Most of us expect a low-rate, pointless and overall tacky war movie from today's money-hungry industry, but SPR has done well in distancing itself from our presumptions. If you've never seen it before, than you'll be surprised at how well the movie is puit together. Aside from the usual modern-day method of pumping a movie full of A-List actors, a predictable script, less-than-impressive direction, irrelevent acting, and the overall novelty that one can come to expect of supposed dramas of today's glamour industry.

The story follows Captain John H. Miller and his team, including a sniper, a medic, an Arab, a surly private, and an acceptable Vin Diesel, to rescue James F. Ryan, a private in a paratrooper squad whose three brothers have been killed in action. A mission susceptible to much protest, and ultimately one that will cost many lives.

Everything about the movies feels as if it was done right. The overall atmosphere feels right, and it makes you feel as if you're sitting inside the movie--you can almost feel the moisture of the air seething through your clothes or the subtle sunshine warm your shoulders and forehead. The acting is very good as well, although you can spot some parts where improvement wouldn't hurt and it at times feels tacky and stunted. The direction is done well, as the actors can easily pass as soldiers, but the aforementioned cut corners could bring you away from the total immersion and feeling.

Saving Private Ryan is very worthwhile, and any war movie buff in his right mind would praise it as innovative and a revival of the genre.

Does anyone still believe WWII was the good war, and that cynicism, spin control and U.S. brutality were born in Vietnam? If so, Steven Spielberg's visceral re-creation of the Secend World War experience will be a shocker: The film's battle scenes are anarchic, bloody, frenzied and studded with atrocious acts. Screenwriter Robert Rodat's script (based loosly on an actual incident and heavily indebted to historian Stephen Ambrose), however, sticks to familiar ground. Battled-scarred Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent on a special mission to retrieve one Private Ryan (Matt Damon), who merits heric efforts because he's the sole survivor of four enlisted brothers, and his safe return is conceived as a home-front morale booster. Miller's hand-picked squadron is a checklist of war-movie types--hard-nosed sergeant (Tom Sizemore); decent private (Vin Diesel); Brooklyn wiseass (Edward Burns), introspective medic (Giovanni Ribsi); tough Jew (Adam Goldberg); pious Southern sharpshooter (Barry Pepper); and bookish corporal (Jeremy Davis) with no frontline experience--whose destinies follow a well-worn path. The exception is the GI who clings to the hope that war exposes the hidden strength in men, and instead has the worst wrenched out of him in a scene that elicits scattered applause but seems designed to evoke a mixture of pity and contempt. The movie's greatest strength lies in phenomenal performances that reach from the leads right down to the smallest supporting roles: Hanks' affability is worked under Miller's hardened skin, and Damon gives Ryan a boyish determination ans convincing as it is naive. Spielberg does some of his best work (the pointless preasent-day framing sequence notwithstanding), but follows in distinguished footsteps: Among the films that should'nt be lost in the rush to praise are Samuel Fuller's harrowing BIG RED ONE, whose credo--"The only glory in war is surviving"-- could be the movie's own.

I watched SAVING PRIVATE RYAN not knowing what to expect. I'm not a big war movie fan, my taste running more toward horror / sci-fi / comedy. Within seconds I was totally engrossed in this all-too-real depiction of WW II. The bullets ripping men apart, the panic, the frantic kill-or-be-killed atmosphere, the almost continuous chaos, interrupted only briefly by spurts of calm, all added up to one joltingly great movie classic! Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, and every castmember is believable and human. There are no cigar-chomping superheroes in this story, just regular guys in an overwhelmingly dire situation (I felt like even I could be one of them). Spielberg tears off the sugary coating of the typical war film, revealing the squirming guts beneath. Pulling zero punches, he shows us war up close and disturbingly personal. Still, SPR is filled with warmth, humor, and that sense of brotherhood that would risk so much for one soldier. I love this movie and cannot recommend it highly enough...

This movie was shafted at the 1998 Academy Awards. Just goes to show you that Hollywood doesnt have the depth to understand a film of this magnitude. Gross injustice is the best way I can describe the snub. Sure there are some parts of the film that appear to be a little unbelieveable and perhaps a bit embellished. All in all the film is an amazing portal into the Normandy invasions and spares us the Hollywood glitz that too many war movies in the past have shown. Tom Hanks best role and Stephen Spielbers finest moment on the silver screen. The tandem is golden and certainly showed in the "follow up" Band of Brothers. This ranks in my top 5 films of all time. Words cant express its emotional stranglehold on your heart and soul. The buzz is there will be an HBO miniseries preimering in 2005 focusing on the Pacific theater of WWII. Should make for some mind blowing viewing.

We must recognize you can have three different visions about the war. You may have an epical approach (Spielberg, Schaffner) ; a tragic approach (Fuller, Stone) or a comical approach (Altman).
Surprisingly Spielberg has taken the first sight. And this is an interesting point to remark. Spielberg assumes that challenge because his personal style has been always to rescue the dignity and the best of the human being can give and even do in the most awful circunstances.
He never tells us story about loosers , nevertheless he always seeks events or edge knife situations where you must face and win. Let's forget all his sci fi proposals (whre he {s obviously a winner) and let's focus on the flesh and bond films.
In Ryan he reminds us the glorious D day .
No other movie in the story until now has shown more realism than this one ; the first thirty minutes of the film now has become in a classic.
He puts the attention about the private Ryan ; he doesn't talk about great challenges ; he refers about the humanity which lives in men even in the worst circunstances.
Schindler (his number 1 masterpiece ) runs by the same concept, but the concerns are major.
With this one Spielberg signs his name in the reduced list of the great supremes war films in any age.

Some people I know complained that the movie was sad. But, if you're watching a war movie, chances are, it's gonna be sad. It's not going to be about fluffy bunnies and rainbows, if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong though, it's pretty gory. A lot of close ups of people blowing up and losing limbs, but it's mainly in the Omaha Beach attack in the beginning. It doesn't really get any worse.
In the movie, four brothers went into WWII, three were K.I.A., and the fourth was still on the battlefront. A troop of eight(?) men were sent to save him, hence the title Saving Private Ryan. It's really in-depth...I could give you a better overview, but I'm only 12, gimmie a break!
If you're a war movie buff, you should add this to your collection, or at least watch it... Thanks for readin!

This movie stole my heart! What can I say previous reviewers haven't? Except if you're even thinking about buying it and haven't you should. It is a remarkable film.