| Heralded as the best war movie ever put to film, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece is probably the hardest to stomach as well. Shot in a gritty green and gray tone, the film tells the tell of Sgt. Jim Miller (Tom Hanks) whose job is to go into enemy territory and rescue a troop (Matt Damon) who has a ride home because all of his brothers died in combat. To say that the movie is hard to stomach is a bit of an understatement. The film is brutally realistic and shows that war truly was hell. The handheld camera and close shots of the actors going through anguish gives the viewer the feel that they are there, living with the troops. Set during World War II, the film truly is a masterpiece of modern cinema, as each bullet rings true in the pounding soundtrack. It's a haunting and lyrical statement that caps off Spielberg's obsession with the second Great War. First was his Schindler's List, that was rightfully given an Academy Award for Best Picture, but to me did not capture what this war really was all about. Along with amazing performances by Hanks, his troop of men, including fine young actors such as Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, and Edward Burns, the film accomplishes what many war movies don't. That is the human emotion of what is going on during a soldier's mind. You are lifted into the scene with a fearfully interpretor, who has never been in combat before, and led by the great Hanks who just wants to get home to see his wife even though he is confronted with such horror. The film truly accomplishes when not during battle scenes, especially when Hanks' men are ready to jump ship, and leave after he orders that a German P.O.W. not be killed, which will come back to haunt him in the future. Spielberg frames the scene as a true testament to what is truly a great film, not only a war movie, but an amazing expierience. | |