Film Review Paper

Abstract

This paper is about the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, a story centered around a battalion from the 1st infantry brigade in search of a soldier (private Ryan) to send him home to his parents after all his brothers died in World War II. I will first give a brief synopsis of the film, and then I will speak about the moral values that were reflected in the film.

James Ryan (Matt Damon) was a private attached to the 101st airborne division. He and three of his brothers joined the military and fought in World War II. However, all three of Ryan’s brothers died, so in an effort to save him as the last surviving son of the family, the Head of the Armed Forces issued a special order to find Ryan and return him to his family. After landing on Omaha beach to a surprise ambush captain Miller (Tom Hanks) lost most of his men, but manage to survive. He (captain miller) and the rest of his men were tasked to find private Ryan. They set out across Germany in what would be a treacherous journey. They encountered several enemy fights, and suffered a few casualties; but eventually they found private Ryan alive. However, after informing Ryan of the death of his brothers, Ryan refused to abandon his post and leave his brothers in arms and return home. Captain Miller and the remainder of his platoon were baffled and somewhat upset that they risked their lives and lost men in an effort to rescue the private and yet he refuse to leave. Nonetheless they stayed help Ryan and his team defend their post, after which Ryan was returned home safely to his parent.

Now that I have given you a brief insight into the movie, let us now discuss some moral values that were reflected throughout the film. From a philosophical and moral perspective I believe most of the film encompasses the theory of moral naturalism (Rosenstand, N. pg.20-21). Its appeal to emotional empathy was featured in various scenes throughout the film. However, a few scenes featured utilitarianism (Rosenstand,...