Critical Views - watching something

#### Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), on a mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him home safely after his three brothers have been killed in action. The cast also includes Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, and Jeremy Davies.

Inspired by the books of Stephen E. Ambrose and accounts of multiple soldiers in a single family, such as the Sullivan brothers and the Niland brothers, being killed in action, ... almost entirely on location in England and Ireland. The opening Omaha Beach battle was the most demanding scene ... using 1,500 background actors.
Released on July 24, 1998, Saving Private Ryan became one of the year's most successful films, earning critical acclaim for its graphic portrayal of combat. WWII veterans described the combat scenes as the most realistic portrayal of their own experiences they had seen; some said they had been unable to watch it due to their traumatic memories.
Considered one of the greatest war films ever made, Saving Private Ryan's battle-scene filming techniques inspired many subsequent war, action, and superhero films ... In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".