If you start something, finish it.What is the deal? I'm sitting there watching the opening battle scene thinking "wow, this is amazing" and then the next thing I know, it's Forest Gump all over again...no, not the bit where he's in Vietnam, more like the bit where he's talking to his mother.
Granted, I have to say the cinematography of the battle scenes is something to rave about. Really well done, disturbing... I felt like I was there. But as soon as the story kicked in, it became the most irritating piece of cheese I have ever viewed. And Spielberg is meant to be praised for this half assed job?
The plot was ovbiously constructed to tug at the heart strings of every soppy telemovie fan, the acting and dialogue convinced me of nothing other than the fact that they were all children of the 90's, and the understanding of the soldiers mentality is so base that I don't believe the characters were thinking anything when they were not speaking.
Perhaps the moment that takes the cake is when Private Ryan (Matt Damon...don't even get me started) is told about the death of his three brothers, supposedly the moment we have all been waiting for. Does he give a shit? NO, of course not,why would he? He's with all of his brothers, the men he is in battle with...give me a break... I've been sitting there for how many hours waiting for them the save this emotionless dickhead??Sorry Steve, but you can't simply hire a fantastic cinematographer to make up for the fact that your screenplay sucks, only a few of your actors have a clue, and that you have no insight into the human emotion assosiated with war.
After having seen the re-released versions of "The Longest Day", there is only one rating.
4/26/99
Angie
if you ever want a movie with so much realism of war, this is the movie for you!!
4/26/99
Bushman
Incredible film. I'm glad I was in the theatre and not on that beach.
4/25/99
Duck
Starts off well but falls short by the end
4/24/99
aoakely13
"a whole lot of blood with a whole lot of good acting!"
4/24/99
XenoWolf
best WW2 movie that I have seen
4/23/99
Joe
Good Flick
4/21/99
Christopher Bacher
Good show, still a show. Won't stand the test of time.
4/19/99
bo-bo
Simply Amazing
4/15/99
lucas jackson
the greatest war movie in history i found myself ducking when bullits were shot
4/15/99
Mr. Kramitall
amazing
4/11/99
Technorama
AWESOME!
4/09/99
Aaron W. Pennington
POWERFUL!!!
4/09/99
Keith Calder
Manipulative directing which is fucking awesome in its own right.
4/09/99
MagnumPI
Saw this when it was first released and it still affects me.
4/08/99
Meepos
The first 1/2 hr should have been a documentary. The rest was just a waste of time.
4/07/99
Brian M
intense, the best war flick made
4/07/99
Erica
Incredible!!!
4/05/99
Annearchy, Damme, Satanne
Steven Spielberg vomit being praised. American GOOD. German BAD. Remember WWI??
4/02/99
Jeff
Brillant special effects
3/31/99
Cari
Disturbing, grotesque, nauseating, breathtaking.... a must see.
3/29/99
v. sheridan
great film
3/25/99
debbie tuttle
damn good, but a reason why to dodge the draft!
3/21/99
A. M.
This film is an insult to soldiers everywhere.
3/18/99
GothamDK
Man alive, I had to remember to breathe!
3/18/99
crooked wookiee
the first 30 minutes alone was make it worth seeing
3/17/99
boschy
great beginning...but so unbelievably stupid and kitschy in the end.
3/15/99
davebo
Unlike old ww2 movies, this had great effects and a poor story
3/14/99
Dan Oplinger
Fairly accurate portrayal
3/14/99
Malbert
Am I the only one that thinks this film wasn't that good?
3/14/99
Dharma
War is hell... I had nightmares about that opening scene for weeks. Great movie, though.
3/10/99
nototis
Matt Damon sucks; J. Davies looks/acts like Eliot (ET) characters are WWII stereotypes
3/10/99
Ah Dooey
Titanic's dead. This movie deserves an Oscar or Academy Award!
3/10/99
Go Swans
Pretty good film, but Hanks is so likeable, that I just hate him. Carrey for Oscar.
3/09/99
Katie
Amazing film, took my breath away.
3/08/99
Cathy & Kevin
Can't wait to see it again. Kept your attention.
3/06/99
Tom
great movie-loved it
3/03/99
Andrew Feland
Graphic violence and all-too-real gore cover up a really bad hack job of a story.
2/27/99
MR HOLLYWOOD!!
Whats with the 'humour' at war?,anyway still 1 of the best films ever made.
2/27/99
Jerry-93
I think what did it for me with this movie was the lack of butt sex.
2/26/99
Viral Messiah
Better than Titanic, deserved a even better audience.
2/26/99
stevens3
A honest potrayal of the senselessness and horror of combat.
2/23/99
Melissa Anne
Absolutely Horrifyingly True.
2/22/99
Jeff HOUN
Extreme graphic detail, good war scenes,sluggish at end,damon's script needed some help
2/20/99
Shanandler Bong
I left the theatre moved.The first 'moving' flick I had seen since GWH:not because of Matt
2/19/99
Bill
great
2/19/99
Cool Thing
Without the obvious guilt trips at beginning and end, this film would have been much better
2/17/99
Derek
Unforgettable. Best I've seen this year. We are damn lucky not to go to war.
2/17/99
Piz
brutally nasty and humanly touching.
2/16/99
ShadowStar
This movie pulled me right in. I could feel the soldiers' fear. Maybe a little too real....
2/13/99
Rolf Steiner
Great, moving film. Not to be missed on the big screen.
1/23/99
Slugmuffin
I hope I never get drafted
1/22/99
Jason Stein
BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!, Thin Red Line sucked
1/20/99
Angus
awsome! reaches right down your throat and pulls your hear out. actually made me feel fear
1/20/99
C Dub
INTENSE, REALISTIC, AND VERY BELIEVABLE FILM. Instant classic.
1/14/99
Brian S
This is by far the most astounding movie I have ever seen. Much props to Hanks & Speilberg.
1/11/99
Joe C.
Great battle scene-cliche-great battle scene-cliche-great battle scene. still worth a look
1/02/99
Dasha
This movie scared me so much. Almost too much realism. But God, it was magnificent!
12/22/98
chuck-d
anyone who doesn't realize that this is THE MOST REALISTIC WAR MOVIE EVER is an idiot
12/13/98
Binky
Minimal over the top flag waving. A shame the first half hour didn't continue throughout.
12/10/98
Brent
One of the best movies I've ever seen. Everyone was silent as they left the theatre.
12/07/98
Shadow Raider
Not only Titanic blows, this is one hell of a great realistic WW movie. Even better!
12/04/98
Svengali
Raw Power. Amazingly filmed. You must see in THX/surround to appreciate the experience.
12/04/98
Jason Stein
This is THE Best Movie EVER, plain and simple, it'll sweep and the Oscars, Whats Titanic?
11/30/98
MR HOLLYWOOD !!
A Masterpiece In-Definitely,Oscar contendor....1 quest. why crack jokes during battle ???
11/29/98
Assman
Awesome, realistic war movie.
11/25/98
Mr.Pink
American patriotism diminishes this movie's power.
11/24/98
Fred
WWII is a main character, don't look for anything deeper. Worth seeing for D-DAY alone.
11/23/98
Sarah Rogers
This is simply an amazing film...it really shows you how much you have to be grateful for.
11/22/98
MR HOLLYWOOD !!
confrontational to say the least!.......spielberg does it again.
11/14/98
little jerry
cut the story out,leaving a 2hr doco & it WOULD be awesome.new title ''Green Dog Sector''.
11/14/98
Jeremiah Lewis
This was the most impressive movie I have seen all year!!!
11/10/98
K-Dog
BIGGEST SELF ABSORBED PILE OF SHIT!
11/08/98
Spice
I wish they all could have come home
11/08/98
Neil
Its a shame that all of the "characters" weren't killed in the beach scene.
11/06/98
Lord Of The Dunce
The second time you see this film, you spot a lot of stuff you missed first time around.
11/04/98
lord rashanko
rocked my ass
11/01/98
Shaun
More gore than Braveheart, more touching than the neighbor next door. I loved it.
11/01/98
Mike
Good battle scenes but sucky dialogue and plot.
10/28/98
R Calmelat
Fucking Awesome
10/28/98
zenball
close but no Oscar
10/28/98
Mikie Puscar
great movie but has graphic violence
10/26/98
Silent Rob
Execellent, if manipulative. Speilberg comes close to a 'Schindlers List' for dogfaces.
10/26/98
fred
bloody but good movie
10/25/98
Pariah
Touching film...If I ever see Jeremy Davies on the street, I will beat his eyes shut.
10/23/98
Havoc
best movie this year
10/22/98
Da Werd Man
This movie kicked fucking ass!
10/22/98
Ike
Stunningly visceral battles, but unnecessary, insipid first & last scenes ruin it
10/22/98
Paul Snow
Best Movie of all time
10/22/98
Jason Stein
One of the best flims of all time-A Masterpiece
10/22/98
PirateGirl
Men make friends in wartime, war is hell, we knew that
10/22/98
Andrew Hill
Excellent scenes made this a hell of a movie
10/20/98
Back J. G.
good
10/17/98
Sailor Moon Ate My Balls
Somewhat disturbing and haunting, a kick-ass movie.
10/09/98
Blake
One of the best films ever made!
10/08/98
White Dolemite
A modern masterpiece that does not glamorize the horrors of war! Amen!
10/07/98
Kraznutz
Awesome movie. Completely mind-blowing, but the end needed work.
10/04/98
Joe
Whats wrong with you people, this movie is worth a look, only if you can stomach it!
10/02/98
Jeannie
It was very realistic.
10/01/98
arachic13
what was with that shitty flashback device???
9/30/98
Flea Bitten Nut
Tremendous film. Corny ending, but overall a happening.
9/30/98
maria
it just great!!!!!
9/30/98
Daddy Rich
Too goddamn long!! It was hard to sit thru 3 hours of bullshit!!
9/28/98
cocksmoker
the dude from this movies sucked my balls till i came
9/25/98
Pat Flanagan
First time I've ever seen a movie and had the audience leave in complete silence.
9/22/98
Jon
I know one of the production assistants..
9/22/98
irish_girl
First twenty minutes were intense -- to bad the rest of the movie wasn't as good. Predictable storyline, trite dialogue. For a really good WWII movie, go rent The Fighting Sullivans. Too much hype o
9/22/98
Rob Forey
What a film. This is definately Speilberg at his best and his best!
9/20/98
Maegs
I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats.
9/20/98
MR HOLLYWOOD
SHEER ECSTASY,spielberg IS a god,HATE tom hanks loved tom sizemore!
9/17/98
Couch Potato Critic
As a vet I can say that the 1st 25 min. were gritty. The rest was unrealistic horse shit.
9/17/98
Simple Pimple
Simply phenomonal. The way to use a big list of stars properly.
9/16/98
Kitty Williams
Not into war flicks as a general rule, thought this one was outstanding!
9/15/98
Raghavendra T N
Very well acted and directed...
9/15/98
Gamma
Only Schindler's List moved me more... the ending sequence is beautiful and powerful.
9/15/98
Norm
Truly the best war movie ever. Dont wait for the video. See this one on the big screen
9/14/98
pd41ck
To computerized in the battle scenes, to fake.
9/14/98
Negative Creep
Tom Hanks can't act his way out of a nutsacˇ Ryan remembering his bros was a good scene..
9/14/98
Katie
This movie was so great! I love Matt Damon!
9/14/98
Foxe
Great Movie
9/14/98
tessSpork
Absolutely will not regret seeing this movie
9/14/98
Vince
Needs a stronger story line. Nothing but a bunch of blood and guts.
9/14/98
Joe
Kinda Intense, not for everyone, "blah, blah"...
9/13/98
Ron Kuerner, Jr.
This is NOT entertainment! This is not fun. Spielberg has made the definitive anti-war film
9/13/98
Chip Taylor
aWESOME ACTION SCENES. A DUDE'S ARM COMES OFF AND HE PICKS IT BACK UP, CAN'T BEAT THAT.