What Steven Spielberg did for the holocaust in *Schindler’s List*, he now does for the soldiers of WWII. A technical masterpiece with jaw dropping cinematography and visceral intensity.

##Genius

What is left to be said about the genius of Steven Spielberg? He’s made
many of the most memorable movies of the last 25 years, and this one is no
exception. In fact, I wonder if we’ll ever see the summit of his talent.
Each time in his career when everyone thought he’d made his Great
American Film, he seems to come up with even more greatness. Remember
*E.T.*. That’s been hailed as a classic for the ages. The Academy
even gave him the Thalberg award for lifetime achievement. Soon after
that, he made *Schindler’s List”. Then he made ”Amistad* and
people thought they’d seen the pinnacle. Then comes *Ryan*.

##Boy am I Glad…

Boy am I glad I wasn’t there. The movie centers around a
group of 8 soldiers that are ordered to find private Ryan whose 3 brothers
have been killed in the war. He’s the sole surving brother, and the brass
up top decides that he should come home.

The film opens with a soft of an elderly man visiting a graveyard looking
for a particular marker. The shot ends with an extreme closeup of his eyes,
and then fades into the beginning of the battle at Omaha Beach.

The scene opens as we see soldiers in landing craft heaving their guts up
preparing to land in the first assault wave. I’ve heard that only 15 of
the first 5000 men to land there survived. After seeing this horrific
retelling of those events, I don’t doubt that number at all.

Slowly but surely the 8 (then 7, then 6, etc.) work their way inside enemy
territory to try and complete their mission.

The movie ends with an extreme closeup of an old pair of eyes, and as the
camera backs up, we see that we’re back to present day and the elderly
gentleman that’s looking at the grave is none other that private Ryan. This
brings us full circle.

##Technical Mastery

I still haven’t figured out how the scenes at Omaha Beach were filmed.
There was just too much going on, and the camera movement was too
continuous (i.e. no edits) that I can’t even imagine the planning and
coordination that went into these shots!

##In conclusion

I highly recommend that everyone see this film. But don’t see because
you’ll enjoy it. It’s not an enjoyable experience, but it could change your
life.