150 men on seven ships land on Omaha beach. As the bridge of the ships drop the front men are picked off by blazing red bullets. It doesn't let up.
Imagine not being able to see your attacker, not being able to hear your commanding officer's orders, not even being able to think - barely able to act (or react as the case were). You begin to duck behind anything for cover, watching as all around men, barely indestinguishable from yourself, fall to the ground a bloody red mass. Bullets zip by all around you, tearing flesh from bone, sending sand flying everywhere.
For over twenty minutes you are subjected to these horrible images, but thankfully it's not you there, you're only watching a film. A damn realistic film. Gruesome, bloody, gory... all terms that people will describe the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan. I say it's one of, if not the most awe-inspiring, powerful, and unforgettable scenes in cinematic history. The master of his craft, Steven Spielberg puts you right in the mix of war. The camera acts as your eyes, you are a first person observer and participant. Up, down, left, right...everywhere... the camera is you. When you rest, the camera is steady, and you're breathing heavy (as heard through the speakers), and your hear is pounding (which it should actually be). When you are advancing on your enemy, the camera is shaky. There are periods when you feel like blacking out, and the camera starts getting fuzzy, out-of-focus. There are times when, pausing behind a barrier for shelter and rest, you see your commander barking orders, and you only hear part of it. You're too distracted by the sounds of explosions, death screams, and bullets whizzing by (in a DTS surround theatre, the atmosphere of war is everywhere). The experience of this initial scene is unparallelled in its graphic depiction of war, and its tremendous impact on the viewer. Cudos to Spielberg.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't maintain its grip on the viewer as well as it could have (the grip was still there, it just let up some). You're kind of jarred from being participant to observer... and you once again realize that you're sitting in a theatre, not in the midst of a war.
The true purpose - I guess - is the story of saving Private Ryan. Seargent Moore (Tom Hanks) has been ordered to assemble a small group of soldiers to head out on a mission to find the Private. It's a mission meant to boost morale and public relations, as three of Ryan's brothers have already died in combat, and the "high command" don't want to send his mother one last death notice.
With a small band of 8 men, we are taken along on the quest for the mysterious young soldier, the encounters with other combat units who think they're back-up, the various German artillary they must overcome, plus the tension within their own unit.
The only downfall to the film is the acting - not that it's bad (far from it, as Ed Burns, Tom Seizmore, and Giovanni Ribisi all turn in powerful performances) but the film should be more about the war than the soldiers. In the beginning , the actors didn't act, they reacted. They don't do that throughout the rest of the movie.
The point of the film, in my opinion, is not the story. It is, instead, the experience of war that the entire film should convey, and it does the best job of any yet. The power of the film lingers even once it's over, as when you leave, quieted and humbled, you pray that the theatre is as close as you get to it.