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Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore) in Saving Private Ryan (Image: Dreamworks)
When it comes to war movies, Saving Private Ryan is widely considered as one of the greatest, if not the best of all time, depending on who you ask. The masterpiece is a World War 2 epic about a group of soldiers whose mission is to find one man and bring him home safely.
With his three brothers already killed in action, Francis Ryan, as played by Matt Damon, is the last surviving son in his family. Leading the charge is Tom Hanks in his iconic role as Captain John Miller. The acclaimed Steven Spielberg drama was widely praised by critics, World War 2 veterans and regular viewers, becoming the year’s second-highest-grossing film. Whether you’ve never seen the classic or wouldn’t mind a rewatch, Saving Private Ryan is currently free to watch on BBC iPlayer, but not for too long.
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As the BBC iPlayer website warns, the iconic film is slated to leave the platform in three weeks, which means you have until Friday, June 19 to press play.
The film’s synopsis reads: “After surviving the carnage of D-Day, Captain Miller is ordered into heavily contested territory to find and return a single soldier. The mission proves to be both brutally dangerous and potentially pointless.”
Although not a true story, the acclaimed WW2 film was inspired by books by American historian Stephen E. Ambrose and by real-life instances of families in which multiple brothers died in the war.
Saving Private Ryan racked up accolades during awards season, winning five Oscars (including Best Director and Best Cinematography), two BAFTAs, and Best Drama at the Golden Globes.
No surprise that the film has amassed a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with its reputation as a masterpiece.
“The man is the mission.” (Image: Dreamworks)
The Times praised its legendary opening scene — an elaborate recreation of the Normandy landings — by proclaiming: “The 24-minute sequence at the start of Steven Spielberg’s World War 2 drama is one of the greatest pieces of combat cinema yet made.”
The Guardian said: “An old-fashioned war picture to rule them all – gripping, utterly uncynical, with viscerally convincing and audacious battle sequences.”
Another critic wrote: “Not simply a 1990s classic or among the better prestige films of my generation, Saving Private Ryan is a stone cold masterpiece ranking among the very best war films of all time.”
Saving Private Ryan is widely considered one of the greatest war movies ever made (Image: DreamWorks Pictures / Paramount Pictures)
A viewer review on IMDB: “A war film you simply can’t miss.”
“Within 30 mins into Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg rewrites everything about warfare filmmaking, destroys several Hollywood clichés, completely redefines the combat genre, and permanently cements his film’s place among the greatest examples of its kind,” wrote another audience member on Letterboxd.
“And the rest of the picture is no less intense, for this World War II epic remains powerful, visceral and harrowing throughout.”
Saving Private Ryan can be watched for free on BBC iPlayer until June 19. It can also be rented or bought on other platforms including Amazon Prime, Google Play, and Sky.
