Spielberg’s visceral WW2 epic is gruelling, but with a human, emotional core. Gripping, uncynical and ultimately uplifting. 

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Invoking its Sole Survivor Policy, the US military devises a plan to pull Private Ryan (Matt Damon) out of combat and send him safely back to the United States. Ranger captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home. 

Loosely based on a true story, Saving Private Ryan is considered one of the greatest war films of all time, earning five Academy Awards (including Best Director for Spielberg) amongst many other accolades for its unflinchingly realistic depiction of the human cost of war.

"The horror of battle is given visceral power in Steven Spielberg’s dazzling fusion of audacity, action and human drama", Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.

Showing on Remembrance Sunday, a time to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian service people in the two World Wars and later conflicts.