

When the team finally uncovers Ryan, he is informed of his brothers’ deaths and the orders from the U.S. More than ever, to these men, this mass effort to rescue one soldier seems like a goal with too high a price. With two soldiers now dead, Miller’s authority is doubted, and the team more aggressively questions the purpose of their mission.

As the team follows this lead, Miller chooses to destroy a German gun site along the way, and another of his men dies as a result of the battle. Through further investigations and questioning, Miller finally learns that the Private Ryan they seek is involved in defending a strategically-important bridge deeper into the province. With one fatality already having occurred, the men question the mission’s goal of saving a single soldier.Īt Neuville, Miller does identify a Ryan, but he is not the right one. As there is no safe way to get medical aid, the man dies, setting up the beginnings of dispute among the team. This area is, not unexpectedly, in the throes of battle, and one of Miller’s men is wounded. With virtually no other information regarding Ryan’s location, the men set out to the town of Neuville. He then assembles a team of six men from his outfit, along with a soldier fluent in French and German. Marshall issues orders that this remaining brother be located and returned home immediately, and these orders reach Captain Miller. Here, the character of Captain Miller is introduced as he leads his team to break through the German defenses.īack in the United States, General George Marshall – an actual officer at the time – is informed that three brothers named Ryan have all been killed in the war, and that a fourth brother is still missing in action somewhere in Normandy. The ensuing scene of battle has been hailed as one of the most realistic and gritty such scenes ever accomplished. The time then quickly shifts to June of 1944, and the American troops landing on Omaha Beach. The film opens with a prologue, in which an elderly man and his family visit an American cemetery in Normandy, France. While some reviewers had issues with both the film’s sentimentality and accuracy, the movie was largely acclaimed as one of the best films dealing with World War II ever made.

Saving Private Ryan: Summary – Essay Sampleĭirector Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film, Saving Private Ryan, was a great critical and commercial success.
