Review of Saving Private Ryan. Not only one of the best war movies ever made, It's one of the best movies ever made.

Saving Private Ryan, boasting superb directing from Steven Spielberg and an all-star cast featuring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel among others, is a captivating masterpiece of film that keeps the audience on it's toes from the climactic and bloody opening on the beaches of Normandy, to the explosive finale in the ruins of a french town, Spielberg captivates the audience by vividly detailing the trials and horrors of war in a realistic way. Not only is this a document of war, it is also a message of warning to all who aren't aware of what happens in battle. War isn't worth it. It isn't worth the millions of lives that are spent on it. That main theme is shown throughout, but not in a sense where it takes away from the experience. Actually, it adds to the grit and the realism that are the foundations of this film. And boy this movie is very dark. Not for the faint of heart or queasy of stomach, even I, someone who doesn't mind some violence here or there, got upset while watching so many people die in so many gruesome ways. But Spielberg wanted to recreate those utterly terrible moments, and he did it with much vigor and great strength. The acting is great, with every character and supporting character giving it their all. But the standout performance for me was Barry Pepper as Private Daniel Jackson, who, while toting a deadly sniper rifle and the God-given talent of accuracy, would say a prayer for those he was about to kill. He played the role so well that I really had to pick him out of the crowd. If I were to detail every character and their personalities, this review would be ten pages long. And that was another great part about the film. Every character was developed so well and you don't even really get a formal introduction. You're just thrown into war with each of them learning about them as they learn about each other.
The Verdict:
The story was amazing, cinematography was awfully beautiful, direction was dark and gritty, and the actors never miss a step. I won't go as far to say Saving Private Ryan is THE best war movie ever, but it is one of the best, and one of the best movies period. 5/5