RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
90 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:91

Fresh:82

Rotten:9

Average Rating:8.1/10

Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Hanks, Spielberg's unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.

Runtime: 2 hrs 49 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Steven Spielberg's World War II tour de force chronicles the journey of a GI squad on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the unit is under... Director Steven Spielberg's World War II tour de force chronicles the journey of a GI squad on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the unit is under orders to track down a soldier, Private Ryan (Matt Damon), so he might return home to his mother in America, where she is grieving the unimaginable loss of her three other sons to the war. The first unforgettable 20 minutes of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN realistically and horrifically depicts the Normandy invasion as Miller. his second-in-command, Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore), and the others in the unit land at Omaha Beach. Before the film began shooting, Hanks and the actors in his squad went through a one-week boot camp in the woods. All the actors, except Hanks, wanted to quit, but Hanks rallied their spirits by reminding them of the incredible tribulations endured by the real veterans of World War II. Production designer Tom Sanders found a beach in Ireland that perfectly matched the landscape of Normandy's. Spielberg gave great credit to the Irish army who helped re-create the Omaha Beach scenes. [More]

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Edward Burns

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Giovanni Ribisi, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Harve Presnell, Bryan Cranston

Director: Steven Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Robert Rodat
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn
Composer: John Williams

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Saving Private Ryan

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Why did Spielberg make it? He wants us to imagine we can feel the terror of being there, but does that make us any wiser about this or any other conflict? Probably not.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 5 Comments
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is an important film that deconstructs war machines into separate, frightened men as it so likely was.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Violent, harrowing, and horrific; you bet. This is not a movie to take your children to see, or even a date. And it's definitely not worth seeing alone. How the ratings board gave this movie an "R" rating is a mystery. Well, maybe not.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 21 Comments
04/14/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

If you enjoy war movies then you'll find this a 5/5 flick; I don't, so go figure.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment 21 Comments
04/02/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

For all the care and thoughtfulness that follow in the story, I never could shake the impression that all I was watching was every other war film Spielberg had ever seen.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 14 Comments
01/01/00
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

It's forty minutes of steely violence and two hours of cliche-ridden flab.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 14 Comments
08/18/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The only thing surprising about Saving Private Ryan is how conventional it is. I fully expected a much more 'noir' vision of WWII along the lines of Oliver Stone's Platoon.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 7 Comments
01/01/00
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Spielberg trades in his usually powerful ideals for an unsettling combination of phony humanism and pandering realism.

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment 3 Comments
04/30/01
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine

Saving Private Ryan is one of the most brilliant pieces of film ever created. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch it again.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

I found it tediously manipulative despite its Herculean energy.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment 1 Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

The performances are all superb.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Elspeth Haughton
Elspeth Haughton
Apollo Guide

Saving Private Ryan is far from flawless, but it's an important movie. It shows what America was once capable of, how a threat to freedom and justice was met with resolve and bravery, and how a great victory came at great cost.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment 1 Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

Saving Private Ryan may be the most mature war film ever made.

Full Review Source: Scott Renshaw's Screening Room | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw's Screening Room

Except for the maudlin bookends from the present day that frame the story, Spielberg doesn't over-sentimentalize.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
08/22/03
Hollywood.com

El desembarco en Normandía es un evento famoso de la Historia, pero nunca había sido fotografiado en esta forma.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
09/03/01
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

A message which can never be spoken too often, or for too long.

Full Review Source: Film Written Magazine | comment Comment
04/02/01
Andrew Howe
Andrew Howe
Film Written Magazine

The diverse effects that war has on human nature has never been captured with such aching reality.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

Spectacular, wrenching masterpiece that unflinchingly documents the random horror, the grisly spectacle and the ugliness of war.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Andy Jones
Andy Jones
TNT's Rough Cut
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for Saving Private Ryan

May 16, 2008: Steven Spielberg's Ten Best-Directed Films
RT counts down the ten best-reviewed films directed by Indiana Jones helmer and modern moviemaking legend, Steven Spielberg. More...

June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...

December 12, 2005: Paramount Buys Itself a Christmas Present: DreamWorks Pictures
Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DreamWorks SKG for $1.6 billion in cash and assumption of debt. The deal brings Paramount... More...

August 11, 2005: Critical Consensus: Brotherly Love, A Not So Great “Raid,” A Skeletal “Key,” and Schneider’s Latest
This week at the movies gives us four brothers with vigilante justice on their minds, a woman who discovers the frightening secrets of an old house on the bayou, a band of... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
162
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
78
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
53
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
49
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
43
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
36
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
27
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Saving Private Ryan at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Saving Private Ryan at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.