Okay, so we all know that for our blog assignment we had to watch a World War 2 movie and blog about it. Kyle, Cuddie and I got together yet again and watched a movie. It seems that every group watched this movie last week, but it is a great movie and Kyle has never seen it before, and Cuddie and I were more than happy to watch it again.
Because you are probably getting tired of reading blogs about Saving Private Ryan, I am going to keep this one relatively short. The star of the film is the one and only Tom Hanks. There are actually many big name stars in this film, including; Vin Diesel, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Denis Farina, Bryan Cranston, and more.
Our great Tom Hanks plays the part of Captain John H. Miller. Miller is a battle weary soldier who leads his troop of high ranking Army Rangers through perilous and enemy ridden terrain. The movie begins with the Omaha Beach Invasion on June 6, 1944, World War 2, Normandy.
A major invasion force was to take the coast of Normandy. An air strike was meant to bombard the German defense system that lined the coast before the naval force and ground based forces arrived. The air strike never occurred and nearly every boat that carried the US invasion troops was pushed farther away than its intended mark due to strong ocean currents. This mishap resulted in the deaths of many Americans before they knew what hit them.
Capt. John Miller and his men make it 200 yards inland and take cover behind sand dunes. The men are under constant fire and the battle field has enough gore and blood to make your mouth drop open. In one scene a disoriented looking man with one arm is running for cover, turns around, and picks up his arm from the ground before he runs to relative safety.
The battle ends with the Americans taking victory. By noon the rest of the invasion force lands on the beach and the area is secured and set up for base of operations. Back in America, the Military telegraph operations receives some very disturbing news; they receive the war casualty news constantly, and three men stick out rather vividly. These three men were brothers, from Iowa, and their mother would receive the telegraph of their deaths at the same time. The most pressing news is that there is a fourth brother, named Private James Francis Ryan, who is also fighting in the war is still in Europe with no clue of his brother’s demise. He is also missing.
This situation is taken directly to the big dogs of the military. Before long a plan is made to bring Private Ryan home to his mother in Iowa. The mission to find and secure Ryan is given to Captain Miller and his men. The only problem is that Ryan was last known to have been dropped by air deep in enemy territory. Miller and seven other Rangers are selected to ensure the success of the mission.
Throughout the movie, the men travel, by foot, through the countryside of Europe. They encounter several skirmishes and battles in the country and in small towns that they come across. The rangers try to find any information that they can about Ryan’s whereabouts and come within contact of US divisions in nearly every town. In one incident, the men find Private Ryan and tell him the news, and the man begins crying. After a few questions the story doesn’t add up and they realize that this is the wrong Private Ryan. It was all a terrible mix up.
Two of the eight men are killed before they even reach the real Ryan. There are hostile feelings towards Ryan and the mission to save him. Just about everyone except Captain Miller cannot understand how one man can be so important as to endanger eight other men so that he can be rescued. You have to remember though that Ryan has no idea that any of this is happening and for all he knows his brothers are still alive.
Upon hearing the news, Private Ryan, played by Matt Damon, refuses to go. He remains strong and adamant that he does not leave his men behind, especially since the town that they are all in is about to be invaded by a German attack force. Miller and his men reluctantly grant him his wish and remain to help Ryan and the other Americans fight off the Germans.
In a great battle, Miller is killed near the end and a few of the original troop are able to get Ryan to safety. There is a twist to this part as the image turns from a now safe Ryan to a graveyard many years later. I won’t tell you what this means or why there is a graveyard. The graveyard is shown at the beginning of the movie and ties in with the end.
I really, really like Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks never fails to be the hero. The men in the movie start off on the wrong foot but soon grow together as comrades in arms despite being together for only a short time. I recommend this movie to anyone who is in need of some action and a decent history lesson.
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