Saving Private Ryan: BD Review
|
Page 1 of 3 Paramount / 169 Minutes / Rated R / 1998 / Street Date: May 4, 2010
Although all films are by default exploitation films, just by virtue of the fact that they deal with a particular subject matter and then charge admission for it, there remains a hard line drawn between commercial films that pander to the lowest common denominator, and art, which intends to challenge, provoke and stimulate with no regard for the bottom line. And no other filmmaker in history has had to ride the tightrope between these two extremes more than Steven Spielberg. Responsible for some of the biggest blockbusters in motion picture history, Spielberg has always been accused of producing cinematic Big Macs, always ready for mass consumption and over five billion served. It would not be until 1993, with Schindler's List, that he would at last satisfy the critical contingent which for so long had challenged him to make a movie about adults, one free of childhood fantasy and sentimentality. Spielberg seized upon this newfound respect and maturity following his Oscar-winning triumph with Schindler's, alternating the expected blockbusters (Lost World, Catch Me If You Can) with darker more challenging fare (Amistad, Minority Report). The most successful of his post-List experiments was Saving Private Ryan. His goal? Only the most visceral and realistic portrait of war ever put on film. The film opens like a blitzkrieg. In a highly-lauded sequence recreating the legendary D-Day invasion - a virtuoso piece of film that runs nearly 30 minutes and is not for the squeamish - Spielberg places us so directly in the middle of the action it is the very definition of cinematic verisimilitude. This sequence alone earned Spielberg his Oscar, and it remains an astounding achievement. If we don't know who the characters are or what exactly is going on, it only heightens the impact: in the space of 1,800 seconds, we are literally plunged into hell itself. It is just unfortunate that once the battle is over and the story begins, it is comparatively disappointing.
Saving Private Ryan is the road movie at war. It is a travelogue that follows the search for the last remaining Private Ryan, whose other four siblings have all been killed in combat. A crack team lead by everyman Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) begrudgingly accepts the mission, and their search will serve as a metaphor exploring the themes of honor, sacrifice, duty and nobility. By the time of the even more ferocious climax, many lives will be lost and more blood will be shed to find one single man. Spielberg will sum up his entire attitude towards the war and the mission in a single shot. His approach reflects a newfound restraint all but inconceivable if you have ever seen such cinematic atrocities as Hook or 1941. Only the mawkish bookends and John Williams score rankle - it is as if, following 150 powerful minutes of documentary-like realism, Spielberg couldn't completely let go of his established bag of tricks and not add a dollop of sentimentality. Also somewhat threadbare is the script by Robert Rodat, which often suffers from contrived and obvious plotting, overblown speeches and a trite sequence that unwisely removes us from battle and detours to Smalltown, USA. But if Saving Private Ryan is complicated and flawed, it also undeniably powerful. It is impossible not to forgive the occasional "Spielberg moment" (and take those awful bookends - please) given the often staggering juggernaut that are the battle sequences. Yet it is not just the technical brilliance and quality of craft that haunts - there are enough unforgettable moments that, long after the memory of what didn't work fades, you will never think of war the same way again. Saving Private Ryan may not always work as a dramatic narrative, but as a document of war, it is unparalleled. |
Comments (1)