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Title: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Tom Hanks | ... | Captain Miller | |
| Tom Sizemore | ... | Sergeant Horvath | |
| Edward Burns | ... | Private Reiben | |
| Barry Pepper | ... | Private Jackson | |
| Adam Goldberg | ... | Private Mellish | |
| Vin Diesel | ... | Private Caparzo | |
| Giovanni Ribisi | ... | T-4 Medic Wade | |
| Jeremy Davies | ... | Corporal Upham | |
| Matt Damon | ... | Private Ryan | |
| Ted Danson | ... | Captain Hamill | |
| Paul Giamatti | ... | Sergeant Hill | |
| Dennis Farina | ... | Lieutenant Colonel Anderson | |
 |
Joerg Stadler | ... | Steamboat Willie |
| Max Martini | ... | Corporal Henderson (as Maximilian Martini) | |
| Dylan Bruno | ... | Toynbe | |
Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members from 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back home to his mother... Written by J.Zelman
My grandfather fought in WW2 somehow surviving D-Day. He was apart of Operation Neptune and stormed the beaches of Normandy. He told us a lot of war stories but rarely ever spoke about that day. Before he passed away he did an interview with a local newspaper and detailed what he saw despite it being very difficult for him to speak about. He loved watching war movies... not sure exactly why. Some about that soldier life never really leaves them I guess. He absolutely hated Pearl Harbor cause of the horrible way they portray the military to be a bunch of toothbrush wielding babies who don't know what to do in the event of being attacked. He had a friend stationed there who lost his life and thinks that movie is a disgusting display of ignorance. Soldiers don't take girlfriends on private plane rides. And they most definitely know how to swim. Maybe I'll give that movie a good ripping one day.
But Saving Private Ryan was a respectable "I can't watch this" reaction. He said no movie has come that close to capturing what that day was like. He said it was too realistic. Whether or not the story is based on real or fiction, that intro was 100% realistic. I'm not sure if he ever did finish watching it but he appreciated it for capturing that chaos like no other movie has before. I watched the movie a dozen times now and keep it in my collection as a reminder of my grandfather. A scene he was technically in. Which makes me appreciate how strong of a person he really is.
War is hell and this movie not only shows that while being an entertaining experience but also captured what soldiers are left behind with. My grandfather was not afraid of anything. I've seen this man walk into a cellar full of black widows to get firewood and not even shake them off. The only time he ever experienced fear was when he went to bed. His nightmares of his time during the war would haunt him in his sleep. This movie helped me understand why.