Der Soldat James Ryan

Ja, ich mag Kriegsfilme. Ja, Spielbergs technische Bearbeitung des Films scheint die Fiktion so nah wie möglich an die Realität des Krieges heranzuführen. Dennoch halte ich diesen Film nur für leicht überdurchschnittlich, weil er nichts über den Krieg als solchen aussagt. Es ist ein nettes Rekrutierungsbild nach dem Motto "Wir sind alle Freunde in der Armee und wir mögen einander", was ja ganz nett ist, aber es wirkt auf mich wie die bunten Zeichnungen auf den Propagandaplakaten des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Ich glaube keine Silbe der Geschichte, also punktet Der Soldat James Ryan für mich nur mit den Kampfsequenzen (die wirklich fesselnd sind) und den hervorragenden schauspielerischen Leistungen. Ich ziehe es vor, den agitatorischen Subtext zu ignorieren... (27.01.2004)

From the first to the last scene, amazingly conceived, every shot engrosses you, until you feel that a bullet might fly towards you any moment, and the impact is so significant that I can't get it out of my head for a few days after watching it. I only have a slight issue with how enormous and somewhat unnecessarily grandiose it is, that Spielberg doesn't hold back on his desire for big stories even a bit. But that would be complaining about something I usually praise. I do appreciate, though, how the director, who is often criticized for being family-oriented and kind, can brilliantly turn all these criticisms upside down. (21.01.2006)

My friend told me that during the opening scene of the landing on Omaha Beach, she wanted to run out of the theater, but she was so hypnotized by what was happening on the screen that she stayed seated. This is a film purely for the big screen and good sound, where bullets fly around you and you feel that you are physically there with them, that you are part of the action. The first half hour has become legendary. (13.04.2003)

From a formal point of view, i.e., from the perspective of the film craft, there is not much to criticize about the film, almost nothing. It is an emotionally and extremely expensive blockbuster, which rightfully belongs in film history, especially with its opening 15-minute battle sequence. There could be endless things to say about Steven Spielberg's directing abilities, about how he can work with visual composition, build up a scene, and direct actors - and it would all be praise. However, what concerns me more is the formulaic script, the same problem I had with Spielberg's Schindler's List. When I compare this film to Klimov's drama Come and See, for example, I clearly feel Spielberg's superficiality. To label this film as just a popcorn flick would be grossly unfair, as there are incomparably worse films of its kind. It is undoubtedly an attempt at a serious war drama, but I fail to understand why Spielberg is not satisfied with real stories and real war history and feels the need to produce fiction. Sometimes the unnecessary pathos also bothered me, especially toward the end. Overall impression: 70%. (13.06.2006)

It is certainly not a flawless film, but technically it is so brilliant that I’m happy to forgive all its shortcomings. Steven Spielberg shows us a real war like nobody has before. Tom Hanks is a genius, as well as Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski. For me, the best war film of all time. (09.11.2003)