Saving Private Ryan is a phenomenal movie. I’ve been wanting to watch this film for a long time and this was one of the first films I ever put on my watchlist. I always wanted to watch this film because it seemed like the type of film I would love but for some reason I kept pushing it back. I decided it was finally time that I watched this iconic film and because of all the fantastic things I had read/heard about it I had extremely high expectations. All of my high expectations where exceeded, every single aspect of this film completely blew me away. Besides a few minor problems it’s honestly hard to think of any major or notable flaws. The plot is great it’s an immensely realistic and captivating story. The second the film starts it grabs your complete attention and doesn’t let go until the credits role. Right off the bat the story begins with a brutally intense and masterfully crafted 30 minutes depicting the events of D-Day. Those 30 are undoubtedly some of the most well made and truly heartbreaking moments in film history.

The story is such a human story that brilliantly balances an array of moral themes. It’s the type of story where you can’t help but ponder what’s to happen next because of how unpredictably realistic the story can get. The pacing is great since it’s absolutely an engaging story there isn’t a single slow or boring moment. The acting is phenomenal Tom Hanks a phenomenal performance. Hanks doesn’t even have to try and give an outstanding performance he’s just that amazing of an actor.

Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, and Giovanni Ribisi give fantastic supporting performances as well. This film seriously has one of the most versatile and talented casts of all time. The direction is phenomenal from Steven Spielberg, every single one of his directorial choices felt masterfully thought out and genius. Spielberg truly knows how to tell an incredibly important story. The script is fantastic it’s an authentic and very well written script stacked with memorable pieces of dialogue between the platoon. The cinematography is phenomenal this film is full of beautiful and impressive shots that immerse the audience into WW2. The visual effects and editing are phenomenal as well. The score is phenomenal from John Williams he really knows how to make a score that strikes up personal emotion. I’ve said this many times before and I’ll say it again Williams is the greatest film composer of all time. It’s hard to believe that Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score won over this. The ending is a heartfelt ending that brings you close to tears. Overall Saving Private Ryan is an intensely realistic and overwhelmingly stunning war film that’s absolutely a true masterpiece.

(10/10)