Saving Private Ryan

2h 49m • Drama, War • 1998

AroView: Tom Hanks commands a squad assigned to retrieving a single man from behind German lines in WWII France.

With ‘sacrifice’ the key theme, Spielberg’s show can be a bit manipulative, but does provide some realistic insight into unit dynamics and the inner conflict suffered under the most compromising of conditions. Primarily though, it’s an outstanding technical achievement, punctuated by a series of masterfully executed combat sequences.