These days, it’s all about family for Vin Diesel. Since his appearance in the 2001 film, The Fast and the Furious, the actor has become synonymous with the franchise. But in the late ‘90s when the blossoming action star was trying to make a name for himself, he auditioned and was booked for one of the greatest war flicks of all-time — Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. The movie is a legend in and of itself, filled with a stacked cast that also includes Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, but Diesel’s addition to it no doubt helped launch his career and put him on the crash course to step into the role of Dominic Toretto just a few years later. Now, more than 25 years since it first took the world (and global box office) by storm, Saving Private Ryan is enjoying a run on Prime Video.
In the world of cinema, there are a lot of excellent war dramas out there. Movies like Oliver Stone’s Platoon and Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now served as incredibly accurate portrayals of the horrors of the Vietnam War, while Edward Berger’s award-favorite, All Quiet on the Western Front brought audiences back to the darkest days of WWI. Even more recently, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza kept things close to home with the recently released Warfare, and Ridley Scott told a similar true story through 2001’s Black Hawk Down. When it comes to Saving Private Ryan, screenplay writer Robert Rodat certainly packed in the action, but also poured in emotion and dedication, ensuring that he also got first-hand accounts of similar stories.
Set towards the end of the Second World War, the movie follows a group of soldiers tasked with a rescue mission to bring one of their own home safely. The team is led by Captain John Miller (Hanks), who sees it as his duty to guarantee that Private James Francis Ryan (Damon) makes it home safely to his mother after his three brothers were killed in action. In addition to Hanks, Damon, and Diesel, the film also features performances from Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, and Edward Burns.
‘Saving Private Ryan’s Staggering Success
Spielberg has long been considered to be one of the greatest directors of modern times, but he entered new territory with Saving Private Ryan. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits with a 94% critics’ approval rating, but what’s even more impressive is its box-office numbers. Those of us old enough to remember the movies released in 1999 will know the year for one title and one title only — Titanic. Earning well over $488 million at the global box office, James Cameron’s historical romance drama eclipsed the competition and yet somehow Saving Private Ryan still held its own, coming in at third place with a total of $190.8 million.
Catch the excitement for yourself as Saving Private Ryan is now streaming on Prime Video.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo