Saving Private Ryan MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -3

The setting is the summer of 1944 during World War II as American troops storm Omaha Beach in France. In graphic, gruesome scenes, soldiers are being killed or wounded in droves. After this gory, traumatic mayhem, Captain Miller(Tom Hanks) is assigned the task of finding Private Ryan(Matt Damon) who is somewhere in Europe behind enemy lines. Ryan's brothers have all been killed in action, and, because of the Sullivan Law, Ryan must be pulled from combat. Although Miller follows orders, he finds it hard to justify the risk for the lives of his men to save one private. As Miller's men begin a hazardous trek through German occupied territory, one by one, they are picked off. Miller's men become insubordinate and retaliate with brutality against prisoners of war. However, the men courageously defend a bridge against the Germans introducing a powerful patriotic element near the end of the film. Many viewers will feel very uncomfortable in this film and will find that its violence and foul language are too graphic to enjoy the film. Even so, Saving Private Ryan is expected to draw large crowds because the film has been so highly publicized and is directed by Steven Spielberg.

Although Saving Private Ryan concludes with a powerful patriotic theme, the film contains too much graphic violence for most people. The violence includes bloody gruesome battle scenes where soldiers' arms are severed, intestines are gouged from bodies with spurting arteries, and soldiers are decapitated. The cinematography is filmed in a fashion that places the audience onto the battle field making it a traumatizing experience for some viewers. Some of the stories the soldiers tell are sex related. In the thick of battle, soldiers sincerely do pray. But a sniper who is portrayed as a religious person prays as he kills people, making him appear mentally unbalanced. And, of course, the soldiers scream out obscenities and crudities during the battles as well as throughout the film. These include over 30 f and s words and at least 20 regular profanities. This foul language, along with the gratuitous portrayal of violence, require a negative rating for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

Preview Reviewer: Jerry Zumwalt
Distributor: Dreamworks LLC