Boy, what took me so long? I was embarrassed for not seeing Up until now, but now that I have gotten through the true masterpiece that is Saving Private Ryan I almost feel more shame for not seeing this film until today. It is without a doubt the most harrowing war film I’ve ever seen, and it transports you to one of the most violent scenes in the history of human kind during the first half hour or so. From there it takes you inside the mind of the American World War II soldier, and it does it so well that it begins to mess with the mind of the viewer. This was the film that won Steven Spielberg his second Best Director Oscar, yet it lost Best Picture to… Shakespeare in Love? WHAT? You tell me which film has greater longevity.
The film begins with the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, and there is barely a pause before you are witnessing perhaps the most gruesome battle scenes ever filmed. Bodies and limbs are blown to bits, everything covered with dirt and blood. Some soldiers cannot move simply because of the shock at what they are seeing. May World War II veterans have said that this is by far the most realistic depiction of Normandy they’ve seen, and I think one of the biggest reasons this is so is the cinematography. Janusz Kamiński is one of the best guys out there when it comes to camerawork, and he is in top form here. Throughout the film the camera stays right up in the faces of the soldiers. Lesser films would show you the big picture, asking you to look at all them purdy explosions. Spielberg takes the less glamorous route and focuses on the carnage and the emotional toll this horror takes on each soldier. It’s not the battle itself that matters, but the consequences, and this leads us to the rest of the film.
It is learned that three of the four Ryan brothers have been killed in action, and the mother will get all three messages on the same day. An order is passed down from on high that the final Ryan brother, James, is to be retrieved and immediately sent back home. The squad which is sent to find him is led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), and it is made all the more difficult simply because they are not sure where to find him. This mission does not sit well with most of the Rangers. They are going to find a guy and send him home while they have to stay and fight, all the while this mission will likely cost them their own lives. People are dying all around them, and the common point of view among this team is that this Ryan is not worth their time. Yet, they have to follow orders, so they march on.
There is not a soldier in this group that doesn’t want to be somewhere else. None of them relish their job, and it is next to impossible to cope. Most of the usual soldier to soldier banter you see in most war movies is absent until close to the end, for up to then they want nothing to do with each other. Find Ryan, send him home, and move on, no time wasted. When they talk it is to the point. When they finally do sit down and have the obligatory “girls back home” talk, it is because they are preparing for a battle which likely will cost them their lives. It is essentially the moment their lives flash before their eyes.
The cast here is something to behold. Almost everyone here had a great career beforehand or would go on to great things the next decade. The main players include Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies and Matt Damon. Paul Giamatti shows up for about five minutes, as does Ted Danson in a separate incident. Nathan Fillion has an even lesser part, but it is an important scene which shows the psychology and confusion of the common private in World War II, even though if played differently the movie would have been over an hour earlier.
The film is nearly three hours long, so prepare for the long haul. It feels that long, unlike a film like JFK, which zooms by in 205 minutes while some 90 minute films can drag on forever. I’ll probably be writing on that film soon. I don’t mind long movies, as long as they have a reason to be that long. Sometimes a filmmaker will cut a film so long because they feel it makes it seem more distinguished, but it just slogs it down. Here the length is required so that the viewer is completely immersed in to this environment. Before filming, the cast went through a World War II boot camp. They would march through the woods, camp in the woods, and eat rations. That comes through in their pure, raw performances.
This is probably the best World War II movie ever made. Keep in mind I’m writing this after only seeing this once, but it just had that strong an impact. It is the film that defines the Second World War, just like this past year’s The Hurt Locker defined the Iraq war. Some people have seen Steven Spielberg of late as a cash cow who sits in his office and orders his slaves to make movies, but all one needs to do is watch this, watch Schindler’s List, watch Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones movies, Jurassic Park and so many more to remember just how great a filmmaker he is. When one makes so many classic, great films, I’ll forgive Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. For now.
Rating:
(out of 4)
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