Saving Private Ryan tells the story of 8 young soldiers who risk their own lives in order to save the life of one man. The first 20 minutes of the film is the most effective in illustrating the horrific conditions and images troops are subjected to. The opening scene being hailed as the most realistic interpretation of war is only enhanced by the use of a hand held camera that provides the audience with a view of war through a soldier’s eye, as well as adding to the chaos and confusion surrounding them. With the constant sound effects of machine guns, shells and screams for help played throughout the movie and the use of silence when Captain Miller is defended by a shell, allows the audience to get an idea of the mental and physical hardship troops are exposed to and the difficulty they would encounter to overcome these problems. A strong message displayed in the film is that of loyalty, sacrifice and mateship. 8 men sacrifice their lives to save a man that they had never even heard of. Sharing a bond that only other troops would understand, they make their way across the country to find Private Ryan. Once found, Private Ryan refuses to leave as he believes his life is no greater than the soldiers he has been fighting with. He is not willing to leave until his mission is complete. This shows enormous sacrifice, not only by the men who found Ryan, but Ryan himself for not wanting to leave his fellow soldiers in their time of need.
These messages are also made clear by Albert Facey in A Fortunate