Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
Miguel (Nominator)
When I was younger, my parents would never have let me see Saving Private Ryan. Fortunately, I one day became an adult and allowed myself to witness a glorious film. Saving Private Ryan is absolutely NOT a film for children. It is, however, a film that’s a film lover’s dream. It’s got a fantastic director, a phenomenal lead, and an inspiring ensemble to boot.
My first impression of Saving Private Ryan was absolute shock. I mean, who puts Tom Sizemore in a film anymore?! Seriously though, this movie really does shock the senses. In a beautifully shot opening sequence, we see a platoon of men storm the beach of Normandy on D-Day. In the first 15 minutes you see people shot, burned alive and just about every body part known to man flying through the air. Though the gore doesn’t stop there, I truly appreciate the overly grotesque effects as they showcase the terrors of war. I like that Steven Spielberg took a risk and made his film gritty and realistic, which is something that has become its own cliche in modern film.
And how about my man, NGDT (national goddamn treasure), Tom Hanks? DO YOU SEE THE TREND IN MY MOVIE CHOICES? Basically, if Tom Hanks isn’t in your movie, I’m not seeing it. Again Hanks gives an awesome performance, which he was Oscar-nominated for, this time as a platoon leader in charge of rescuing a young soldier (Matt Damon) and sending him home. This causes a rift between Hanks’ men as they feel that their lives are being put at risk unnecessarily to save just one person. Of course Matt Damon’s snotty attitude doesn’t fucking help. OH YOU’RE NOT GOING BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DUTY MATT DAMON? That made for great tension. I recently read in an AskReddit thread that Tom Hanks and his crew were all put through military training and Matt Damon was not, allowing a natural resentment to build against Damon’s character. That’s how you get Oscars, bitch.
Again, this is another obvious choice for our Movie Bucket, but it would be criminal to exclude it. Saving Private Ryan is a fantastic World War II movie that can be watched over and over. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it! (Just not your children.) Stay Entertained.
