Tom Sizemore
Review
Saving Private Ryan -- A Review
Wow. What do you say about a movie like this? Okay, for any of you
who've been living under a rock for the past six months, "Saving Private
Ryan" is a good movie. It's a really good movie. It might even be
phenomenal.
Making the Top Ten list of every critic still hanging on to their job,
"Saving Private Ryan" is a Dreamworks/Steven Spielberg production
dedicated to the proposition that no war is a good war. With the
repercussive impact of a landmine detonated in close proximity, the film
opens to a twenty-minute battle sequence that a good lawyer might be
able to plea-bargain down to assault and battery. Depicting the noise
and the chaos and the utter mindless terror of war in such searing
detail and with such devastating accuracy that the film carries a
disclaimer aimed at veterans who might find the experience overwhelming,
that introductory pummeling strips away any notion of romance or
nobility in the face of enemy fire before moving on to spend the next
two odd hours defining the Human spirit in a subtle pallet of greys and
browns and greens.
Though I could spend pages talking about the brilliance of the directing
or the cinematography or the writing or any of a dozen other elements
that combine to make this movie a powerhouse destined to bump somebody
of the AFI's top 100 list, I think I'll pass, letting them find their
due in the columns of professional reviewers who need to justify a
degree's worth of film study. Instead, I'll focus on what is, for me,
the most essential element of any movie experience: the performers and
their performances.
Led by the stunning Tom Hanks who is going to have to make room for yet
another oscar on his already over-burdened mantle, the ensemble cast is
a collection of the finest talents working today in roles that will
define their careers well into the future. Though a number of more
famous faces -- including Ted Danson and Dennis Farina -- appear in an
almost cameoesque capacity, the bulk of the players are relatively
unknown indie film luminaries. A standout among standouts, the always
phenomenal Giovanni Ribisi -- perhaps best known to the masses for his
"X Files" turn as a human lightening rod -- is devastating as the unit
medic. Adam Goldberg -- whose most visible role-to-date may be his stint
as Chandler's psychotic roommate on "Friends" -- drives his scenes with
characteristic acid sarcasm and a finely-honed sense of the absurd.
Edward Burns -- a man who's found Hollywood success as the writer/star
of Irish familia dramedies "The Brothers McMullen" and "She's the One"
-- is so subtly effective that I swear, at times, he is channeling an
Irish Catholic soldier in WWII; and Jeremy Davies -- who I've never seen
before this but who looks entirely too much like Spielbergian ET
discovery Henry Thomas for me to disbelieve even the most ludicrous
rumors of cloning on the Dreamworks lot -- quite literally implodes with
the tragic force of his portrayal of the fatally-flawed
reporter-turned-infantry man. Finally -- although I've left out about
six players who rightfully deserve raves -- Matt Damon, in a performance
turned in before his "Good Will Hunting" glory days, proves beyond doubt
that he really is worthy of all that hype, giving the film a heart
around which to rally. Truth be told, I may never fully recover from the
silent struggle on Damon's face as his character desperately strives to
maintain composure at the devastating news of his brothers' deaths.
As I suspect everyone reading this would agree, however, it is Tom
Sizemore I want to see thanking his wife and his agent and his fan club
in Peoria on oscar night, a little gold statue in one hand and a crib
sheet in the other. His performance defies description, but for the sake
of the record, I will give it a shot. As the rock-steady Sergeant
Horvath, he is the definition of a soldier. Every word rings true; every
nuance plays to the underlying truth. Working off Tom Hanks's brilliant
depiction of quiet desperation, Sizemore captures the elusive quality of
the ordinary man trapped in extraordinary circumstances. A loyal friend
and a capable soldier, his Horvath is as fundamental as Hanks's Miller
is enigmatic, and it is in portraying the almost infinitesimal
subtleties of this character that Sizemore manages the most unmanageable
task of all: upstaging the flashier Ribisis, Goldbergs and Hankses of
this film.
So on a scale from one to ten -- with one being Chuck Norris in any
Chuck Norris movie you can name and ten being Christopher Walken in "The
Deer Hunter" -- I give Tom Sizemore a ten, and "Saving Private Ryan" a
ten, and Stephen Spielberg a twelve for making this movie and "Jurassic
Park" in the same lifetime. I think we oughta name a country after him
or something: yes, I'd like a ticket to Stephen Spielberg, where there
is no war, phoning home is always free, it is never safe to go back in
the water, the currency of choice is dino dollars and all the really
important events happen in black and white.
Quick, somebody give the man another oscar.
Many thanks to BEKi for a great review!
Saving Private Ryan -- A Review
Private Ryan is significant in key areas. The beginning uses state of the art photography that is meant to shock the audience and hold everyone's attention for 24 minutes. The scenes are traumatic, graphic, inspiring, and moving. The viewer goes through so much emotion from beginning to end of this one scene, its hard to ever top that for the next 2 hours.
Tom Hanks steals the show with a brave performance built on reservation and a trust in his men. Tom Sizemore also has a pivotal role, with his absolute devotion to his commander and friend. The leadership between these men is very obvious from the beginning. I totally agree with the mini-bootcamp that all the actors had to go through. Anyone who's been through a bootcamp can appreciate the attention to details shown in this film.
The final war scene depicts all the qualities I would want in a war movie with good fighting sequences, and strong thought being used for the various camera angles. The sound of this film is one of the best ever for effects. The audience can almost feel the bullets flying over your head. These five men put up a gallant fight till the final resolution. The ending hits its mark on our emotions as warriors and human beings.
I walked out of the theater a different person. Grown men were weeping and there was a strange silence to the crowd. Every person probably needed time to understand their emotions and beliefs after this film. I want to see it again to learn more about the mistakes the men made and how things could have been better with the filming. Overcoming emotion will be the hardest thing to judging Private Ryan effectively.
Many thanks to Dave for the review.
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