Rarely are war films elevated into the pantheon of the best films ever made. However, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) is widely regarded as one of the best war films ever made. The film, which starts with one of the most recognizable scenes in all of cinema history with the D-Day landings, tells the story of a group of soldiers who fight to bring Private James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) home after his three brothers are killed in WWII. During the war, the United States government had a rule that prevented a person from continuing to fight in the war if their bloodline would be ended because of their death. Captain John Miller's (played by Tom Hanks) squad is tasked with finding Ryan and his unit and bringing him to safety, preventing him from dying and saving his bloodline. In the end, they do just that.
Ultimately, Saving Private Ryan has turned out to be one of director Steven Spielberg's most critically and financially successful. Against a budget of $70 million, the film earned nearly $500 million at the box office. The film also was nominated for—and won—countless Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Cinematography. Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert gave Saving Private Ryan a glowing review, writing "This film embodies ideas. After the immediate experience begins to fade, the implications remain and grow."
