Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Steven Spielberg’s action epic stars Tom Hanks as US Captain John H Miller, tasked with locating Matt Damon’s Private Ryan to have him sent home because his three other brothers had been killed in action. Upon its release in 1998, World War 2 veterans found the combat scenes, including the opening sequence of D-Day, incredibly realistic of their own experiences with some even unable to continue watching. Although not quite everything was historically accurate. Considered one of the greatest films of all time, Saving Private Ryan won five Oscars. And in a 2015 poll of Academy votes, given another opportunity, they would have voted for the film to be Best Picture. The film is on BBC Two this Sunday at 10pm.