Is Saving Private Ryan the greatest war film of all time? With the slight exception of a less combat-based comedy, absolutely it is. More care and attention to detail was put into this movie than most movies get in general – even more so than most war films (explosion fests, shoot ‘em ups, etc.) get. The opening recreation of D-Day alone is so carefully executed, that it gave veterans who went to screenings PTSD. It also single-handedly changed how combat was filmed for war films and epics. No, seriously. Compare any battle scene filmed after Saving Private Ryan came out in 1998, and see for yourself. The jerky handheld-camera movement, the soldier POV, the choreography – it’s all that’s done anymore. Other details, such as the patches on soldiers’ uniforms and ways they would prepare their rifles, it’s all considered incredibly authentic. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ love of World War II history is what makes the film such a loving tribute to those who sacrificed everything for their country.

Captain John Miller leads a team of soldiers behind German lines after they storm Omaha Beach to secure a victory as part of the Normandy invasion. The U.S. Department of War receives word that of the four Ryan brothers who enlisted, three have been killed in action, and the one who may be alive is considered missing. Miller and his band of brothers are tasked with finding Ryan and bringing him home so his mother can be spared any more heartache. The group thinks they have found Ryan, but it turns out to be a different Ryan with a similar first and middle name. The group makes their way to a rallying point where a soldier, now nearly deaf, claims to know where Ryan is…Ramelle, a town with a bridge that needs defending. Along the way, they lose some of their soldiers, making the survivors question if their mission is worth it. They do find Ryan in Ramelle, but he refuses to leave his men, believing he has no more right than anyone else to leave. Miller and his men stay and help defend the bridge, but all but two of the original company die in battle with the Germans. As Miller himself dies, he whispers to Ryan “earn this”. Decades later, an elderly Ryan stands at Miller’s grave as he reminisces.

Saving Private Ryan notoriously lost the big prize at the Academy Awards to Shakespeare in Love – a rom-com framed around the writing and performing Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoyed Shakespeare in Love, personally, but it pales in comparison to the writing, camera work, story and lasting impact that Saving Private Ryan has. When we think about all the sacrifices soldiers make – the time and energy to get in shape for combat as well as all they have to carry on a daily basis, the time spent away from family, the mental wrestling with the morality and depravity of what they witness in combat, the physical and mental toll of stressful warfare, and the willingness to die if necessary – it doesn’t seem right to just make action films with tons of explosions and shooting to tell their stories. There should be honor and appreciation behind these stories, and if no other movie does it justice, at least Saving Private Ryan delivers.

Bonus Review: Hacksaw Ridge

In the past, I’ve talked about my deep love for the film, Sergeant York. It’s a wonderful film about a religious man who fights in World War I despite his moral objections. In the film (not sure about the real life York), he originally refuses to fight, but eventually justifies it, saying by killing those running machine guns, he was saving the lives of countless others. Yeah, maybe. But Desmond Doss (the real man and the man Hacksaw Ridge is about) staunchly refuses to fight when in the same position. Instead, his compromise (if you can even call it that) is to be a medic. He will serve his country by taking care of the ones who do fight.

Desmond Doss is drafted to fight in World War II, but his Christian morals prevent him from taking the life of another man. His goal is to become a medic so that he can comply with his country’s demands and stick to his moral code. His seeming self-righteousness makes him several enemies among his fellow soldiers, but he sticks to his beliefs in the face of such adversity and ends up saving those who hated him. He becomes a hero. It’s a little simple and straightforward, and most of the conflict is manufactured, but that doesn’t detract from what makes it great. The movie is a testament to unrelenting faith and a lack of compromise when trials come. It’s also a story of not just a general soldier, but a very specific, very honorable one.