Duel

 SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

I have been showing films and leading discussions at my housing development. The most recent movie was one made for television in 1971. It’s entitled Duel, and it’s the film that put Steven Spielberg on the map. His directorial ability to build suspense here shows how he was ready to make Jaws.

Richard Matheson wrote the story, and he is a respected writer of horror and science fiction stories, including I am Legend and Hell House. He wrote several episodes for the original Twilight Zone series. This tale involves the character of David Mann (Dennis Weaver) who is on a business trip driving on a fairly desolate prairie road that looks like it belongs in the Old West. He passes a slow-moving truck, and that’s when things go badly for him. The trucker plays a cat-and-mouse game with him, zooming past, slowing down, and preventing him from passing. The harassment escalates as he waves David on when there is oncoming traffic which almost gets David killed. The trucker starts to bang into the back of David’s car and even tries to push him into the way of a train.

The theme of this movie deals with old-fashioned masculinity and emasculation. David’s last name is “Mann,” which implies he stands for a modern male who doesn’t live up to his name. His wife tells him on the phone that she is upset with him because he didn’t confront someone who made a pass at her. She says the fellow tried to “rape” her, but David implies it was more like making a pass at his wife and says he wasn’t going to get into a fistfight with the guy. David listens to a talk radio show and the man calling in says he is not the head of the house any longer because he stays at home, takes care of the house and the babies, and his wife is the breadwinner. A gas attendant says, after David notes he doesn’t need to get a hose fixed, “You’re the boss.” To which David says, “Not in my house.”

The title of the film suggests a deadly old-fashioned confrontation between two combatants. In this case, the weapons have been updated to motor vehicles. The setting is rural and primitive, as if we are dealing with an occurrence at the O.K. Corral. We never see the driver of the truck, only a hairy arm, a cowboy hat, and cowboy boots. He is symbolic of the idea of a rugged, individualistic male of the Old West. The truck he drives is a fuel tanker with the words “Flammable” written on the back. It’s like the truck is announcing its ferocity and making a challenge. At one point the truck sits under a dark underpass, and when its headlights come on it appears like a ferocious animal waiting for its prey.

Let’s get back to that hose that needs repair. It is one of several phallic symbols in the movie. The gas attendant carries the gas nozzle around, suggesting the male organ. On the radio there is a man who plays music on such things as a bicycle pump. The trucker tries to run David down while he is at a rattlesnake farm. And there is that train (think of the end of North by Northwest). All these male symbols stress how David’s manhood is in jeopardy, and how he must try to win it back.

David drives a Plymouth Valiant, the name of the car suggesting that there is that fierceness inside of David, waiting to be released. He does in fact confront the trucker at the climax of the story. He aims his car, damaged after attempting several escapes and with that hose bursting, at the oncoming truck near the edge of a cliff. He transforms his unimposing briefcase into a combatant’s tool and uses it to hold down the gas pedal so his Valiant will ram the truck. The collision causes flames, obscuring the trucker’s view. He is unable to halt his forward movement, and the truck and car tumble over the edge. Spielberg lets the camera linger on the destroyed truck until its wheels no longer turn. It’s like witnessing the death of a modern, menacing, stalking beast.

Mann jumps for joy as he celebrates the primal male urge to vanquish the enemy.

Bridge of Spies

 SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed!

In Bridge of Spies (2015), director Steven Spielberg, with the help of the Coen brothers who worked on the script, presents a story based on true events that explores how the fervor of patriotism and fear can sometimes overshadow objectivity regarding individual actions and the pursuit of justice. This movie, as others by Spielberg (E. T. – The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to name a few) focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary situations.

The story begins in 1957 and revolves around the capture of a Russian spy and the United States U2 spy airplane piloted by Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) that was shot down during the Cold War. The first shot is that of Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor for this performance). He is painting a self-portrait as he looks at himself in a mirror. As has been noted previously in this blog, mirrors symbolize the “other,” or alter ego of people. The painting shows a different version of Abel, looking less polished both in his face and clothes, the person under the disguise. Abel is pretending to be a law-abiding resident in Brooklyn while spying for the Soviet Union.

The opening sequence shows Abel is already under surveillance by American authorities. He paints in the park and finds an America coin that was planted under a bench. He pries the phony object open when he returns to his apartment. There is a message inside. It is a wonderful ironic symbol since it uses the currency of a capitalist nation on the surface to hide the Communist efforts to undermine that monetary system inside.

FBI agents burst into the apartment while Abel is in his underwear in the bathroom. Despite the fact that authorities caught him in a vulnerable situation, he is incredibly calm as he says, “Visitors.” He professes not knowing why they call him “Colonel,” and he asks simply for his false teeth (“false” being the operative word here for Abel’s fake presentation). He asks meekly to be allowed to clean his painter’s palette. He deceptively grasps the message from the coin as he wipes the paint and while the agents search his place.

The focus shifts to James Donovan (Tom Hanks) who is an insurance lawyer. He argues with the attorney of five individuals who were hit by a car covered by the insurance company. The suing lawyer, Bates (Joshua Harto), argues that since there were five injuries there are five claims because five events occurred. Donovan says it’s only one accident and the liability is limited to “one” event. He says that if a tornado rips apart a house it is the whole house that the insurance company covers, not each separate piece of wood. Otherwise, there is “never any limit to … liability.” That would put an end to the insurance business and then “nobody is safe.” The scene shows Donovan’s insistence on precise language and definitions. The stress on “one” transaction here ties in with later events.

At the law office, Donovan’s partner, Thomas Watters, Jr. (Alan Alda) has Donovan meet an acquaintance from the Bar Association, Lynn Goodnough (John Rue) in private. Goodnough wants Donovan to defend Abel. Donovan helped prosecute war criminals years earlier at Nuremberg, Germany. IMDb also notes that Donovan worked as general counsel for the U. S. military intelligence, so he had experience with spies and war crimes. Goodnough says that it’s important that Abel get a fair trial since the American legal system will show itself to be legitimate. Goodnough agrees that the American people hate Abel for being a Soviet spy and that Donovan most likely will be “reviled” for representing him. In addition, the evidence is “overwhelming” that Abel is a foreign agent. With dark humor, Donovan acknowledges the no-win situation when he says, “Everyone will hate me but at least I’ll lose.” Watters tells Donovan it’s his “patriotic duty” to “defend the son-of-a-bitch.” His conflicting statement reflects what is the right thing to do despite one’s personal feelings.

At home, Donovan’s wife, Mary (Amy Ryan), is against her husband representing Abel because she sees him as a threat to the country which is on high alert at the height of the Cold War. She calls Abel a “traitor.” Again, words are important to Donovan. He points out that the Rosenbergs were traitors because they were Americans and gave secrets to the enemy. Abel is not an American so the classification wouldn’t fit as he was working loyally for his own country, even though Russia was the enemy of the United States.

Donovan meets with Abel and makes clear that he does not work for the CIA or any part of the U. S. Government. He works for Abel. Abel says that he was offered to work as a double agent, but he refused to be a spy against his country for the United States. As Donovan says most Americans would like to see him go to the electric chair, but Donovan is there to ensure that there is a proper handling of the law. Donovan says one of the charges is that Abel didn’t register as an agent of a foreign government. Abel’s humor remains intact when he asks do many foreign agents register. It is of course a ridiculous requirement to have a spy from another country announce his purpose. Given the extreme nature of Abel’s potential punishment, Donovan notes that Abel does not “seem alarmed.” Abel’s response is, “Would it help?” I have often repeated that line when I find myself worrying about something. It may be difficult to react as Abel does, but he is right that being alarmed does not help the situation in any way. This first conversation has Abel asking for some drawing materials and cigarettes. Donovan says at first it’s not possible. Abel then says that America has spies doing the same for the U. S. and if they were caught Abel is sure Donovan would want them treated well.

There is a perfect cut to the situation Abel refers to. We see Powers along with others receiving top secret orders to spy on Soviet nuclear capabilities. So, the film says that it depends on your perspective as to who is the hero and who is the villain. In a way, Abel does surveillance on the ground of his enemy’s land while Powers does it from the sky. From a distance it is easy to place individuals into stereotyped categories. Once a person gets to know another, that set of criteria may change. As Spielberg said, “everyone you think should be wearing a black hat isn’t necessarily wearing that hat … how could we possibly come out caring about this person in the least? But in this case, we do.”

The bias that Judge Byers (Dakin Matthews) has against Abel is evident in the first pre-trial meeting Donovan attends. Byers basically says there will be a pretense to due process under the law, but that Abel should be convicted. Byers considers Donovan’s plea for a continuance that would delay the inevitable guilty verdict a ridiculous request.

After the meeting, Donovan can’t get a cab. It is night and raining, which adds a sinister quality to the scene. A man follows Donovan. He turns out to be CIA Agent Hoffman (Scott Shepherd), who, after they go into a bar, attempts to acquire from Donovan what Abel tells the attorney. Hoffman scoffs at attorney-client privilege and says there is “no rule book here” given the circumstances. Donovan says he is Irish and Hoffman admits he is of German heritage, but the “one” (that number again) thing that makes them Americans is the adherence to the “rule book,” the Constitution. Donovan is angry at this point with the ease with which Byers and Hoffman dispense with legal safeguards. There is an intimidating force behind Hoffman’s question to Donovan when the CIA agent says, “Do we have to worry about you?” The irony here is that Donovan feels threatened by his own government for doing his job according to the law that is supposed to protect democratic principles.

Donovan looks at the evidence acquired from Abel’s belongings, but there was no search warrant for the items the FBI acquired. He points out to the judge that even though Abel is not a U. S citizen, due process still applies, and the evidence should not be used. The judge doesn’t seem to care about the letter of the law and says that given the Cold War he denies Donovan’s motion. The film shows that the judge’s decision isn’t an interpretation of the law but simply a dismissal of it, which is a dangerous act.  He justifies his actions later by saying there are “bigger issues” at stake. Donovan says to Abel that he is not a U. S. citizen, but his “boss” says he’s not a Soviet citizen either, since Russia is not going to acknowledge that it had a spy in America. Abel again uses his humor despite his dire situation. He says, “Well, the boss isn’t always right. But he’s always the boss.” His remarks apply to the judge, too, which means both countries can be wrong but those in power can ignore the truth.

There is a nice cut to students making the “Pledge of Allegiance,” which states there should be “liberty and justice for all.” This story shows that provision doesn’t always apply. Then there are school children in tears as they watch a film showing the devastation that a nuclear blast can inflict, which can sway people away from that “justice for all” belief. The government gave out false hope that people could withstand the blast by following the “duck and cover,” action, and filling bathtubs and basins with water if the utilities are not functioning. Donovan’s son, Roger (Noah Schnapp), is in his bathroom preparing for the water shortage and tells his father about how their house will be in the blast zone. Donovan tries to calm his boy by saying that no attack is imminent. Apprehension causes even his own son to question why he is defending a spy who could help make the Soviet attack possible. Donovan saying he is doing his job is not sufficient for Roger, as he, like the judge, is willing to dismiss the rules when fear is present. That negative attitude carries over into the population at large as people recognize Donovan from his picture in the newspapers showing he is representing Abel.

Donovan gives Abel a drawing he left in the courtroom and discovers from Abel that his wife plays the harp in a Russian orchestra. Abel also tells a story about how his parents were beaten. Abel’s humor, unwillingness to give into fear, and the facts about his family make him a human being, not a stereotype for Donovan. Abel says that there was a friend of his father who suffered repeated beatings but still stood up. Those inflicting the pain gave up and called him, “standing man.” Abel sees in Donovan that same type of resilience.

The movie does not depict the trial since that is not the focus of the story. The jury finds Abel guilty, despite the illegally acquired evidence. He is, in fact, guilty of espionage. Donovan tells Abel that the death sentence isn’t a lock. Donovan goes to the judge’s house who is preparing for a March of Dimes event to combat polio. The judge is not without his humanitarian interests. Donovan makes a practical argument by stressing his insurance background and says that Abel should be kept alive in case an American is captured doing the same act, spying for his country. Then a trade could be made, which is what the rest of the film depicts.

Donovan’s insurance argument works as the judge sentences Abel to thirty years imprisonment. There is an outcry in the courtroom as people yell for Abel’s death. There is a massive number of reporters taking Donovan’s picture as he exits the courthouse. His wife is frightened by the outcry and Donovan’s partner, Watters, says that Donovan has done his job showing that Abel received a decent defense. If Donovan pursues an appeal, although legally sound, it is not, as Mary says, worth the “cost” to his family and the firm. Again, the environment of fear surrounding the Cold War threatens the letter of the law. Even Abel warns Donovan that he should be “careful” about what can happen to him in an atmosphere of hate as he tries to follow the lawful path.

Abel and the warnings of his wife and partner come to fruition as shots are fired into the Donovan house. The neighbors shout intimidating remarks and even a police officer is confrontational telling Donovan that he shouldn’t be defending Abel. Donovan, the “standing man,” is not one to back down, and stands his ground (Tom Petty reference intentional) as he says that he did his patriotic duty by serving in the military and the policeman should now do his job (which is what Donovan has been stating he is doing).

There is a switch to instructions that the U2 pilots receive. They are told that their mission is secret, and they must not let the plane fall into enemy hands. There is a self-destruct mechanism on the aircraft, and they must go down with the plane. If they think they will be captured, they will have a dollar coin with a lethal poison on a pin inserted in the currency which they are to use. Agent Williams (Michael Gaston) says, “spend the dollar.” It is interesting that we have a second reference to American money, and by extension its capitalist system, that has hidden action attached to it: with Abel, it is to discover the military secrets of the United States; with the U2 pilots, it is to protect those secrets.

We have a series of cuts between the pilots preparing for their spy flights and Donovan getting ready to make his case by citing the Constitution in front of the Supreme Court. In essence we are seeing two versions of fighting for American democracy. Before the Supreme Court, Donovan argues that Abel should be given “the full benefits of the rights that define our system of government.” He makes the case that by showing “who we are,” is “the greatest weapon we have in the Cold War.” He is basically saying that not following the laws that make America an exemplary form of government shows the world that we are no better than the enemies of democracy that we fight against. But he loses his logical argument in the face of an irrational situation, and the Court upholds the conviction.

In a dazzling piece of cinematography, the film shows Powers’s plane hit by enemy fire. He attempts to throw the self-destruct switch, but the cockpit canopy blows apart as the plane falls to the ground. Powers temporarily remains tethered and again attempts to flip the self-destruct switch. But his connecting line to the craft breaks and he opens his parachute. The Russians capture him and he, like Abel, receives a conviction for spying. the filmmakers have stressed the analogy between the two men.

Donovan receives a back-channel letter from East Germany that purports to come from Abel’s wife. Abel says the writing style shows it to be a fake but says that Donovan may as well answer it since it’s difficult to know what “move” to make when one doesn’t know “the game.” There is the implication that the letter may be an attempt to get Abel back to Soviet territory. Donovan meets with Allen Dulles (Peter McRobbie), Director of the CIA. He acknowledges that Donovan was right about the possibility of a prisoner swap and believes that the Soviet Union is using East Germany so it will not have to acknowledge Abel as a Russian spy. The CIA wants Powers back before he cracks and gives up secrets, and Russia wants Abel returned for the same reason, although Donovan knows Abel would never cooperate. Dulles wants Donovan to appear to act (more deceiving appearances) as an independent citizen so that the U. S. Government does not appear to be involved. He will receive no help if “things go south.” As Dulles and Donovan state, there is a fiction being presented on both sides of the Cold War. So, Donovan must pretend that he is corresponding with Abel’s “wife,” and must be a spy himself now as he must go undercover, keeping his mission secret from everybody, including his wife. To complicate matters Russia wants to stop the negative appearance of refugees escaping from East Berlin to West Berlin and is ready to construct what becomes the infamous Berlin Wall. Dulles is funny when asked by Donovan what he should tell Abel. Dulles says, “tell him to stay alive.” It is ironic that the country that wanted Anel dead now needs him to be that “standing man.”

Another element is added to the exchange plan. As the Communists build the Berlin Wall amid chaos among the citizens of the city, American doctoral student Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers) rides his bicycle to get his girlfriend, Katje (Nadja Bobyleva) out of the city. Even though he has identification documents and is carrying his dissertation on Communist economics, the East Germans authorities arrest him.

Donovan travels to Berlin and he hears about the arrest of Pryor who the East Germans are saying is also a spy. Donovan, again trying to do whatever he can to make things right, wants to try and get Pryor out, but the U. S. stance is to worry about the student later. The lawyer, Wolfgang Vogel (Sebastian Koch), representing the fake Mrs. Abel is also Pryor’s attorney. It appears that the East German and Soviet interests may not align, since the East Germans don’t want the Russians to treat them as pawns.

It is very dangerous for Donovan as he travels to East Germany without U. S. support. Food is scarce in East Berlin so there is crime and little police enforcement at this point to keep criminals in check. If Donovan gets too close to the wall he could be shot. He must also not draw attention to himself since he is a foreigner and could appear to be a spy. He has papers added to his passport which justify his entrance to East Berlin. He demonstrates his boldness by confronting the guards at the entrance to speed him ahead of the long line. It is very cold and youths accost him and he must give up his coat and walk in the freezing weather to his meeting. Donovan is also not feeling well since he caught a cold. The story shows the courage and persistence of the man in his pursuit in what he believes is just.

At the Russian Embassy where Donovan is to meet Vogel he encounters three people who say they are relatives of Abel. As Abel had said, the woman is pretending to be his wife and she has a fake daughter and cousin with her. They put on a show of grief that they hope will soften Donovan’s negotiation terms, but Vogel can see past their drama. Ivan Schischkin (Michael Gor), who says he’s a secretary at the embassy, but is really a KGB chief, appears instead of Vogel since the lawyer is a German and would make the negotiation between the U. S. and Russia more indirect. The two play a clever diplomatic game. The Russian wants to get Abel first so as to save face and then they will release Powers. Donovan rejects that move knowing they may never get Powers back. Schischkin suggests the quickness desired by Donovan means Abel has already given up what he knows and wants to stop Powers from doing the same. Donovan concludes that Powers must not have divulged anything, or the Soviets would agree to a fast trade. He suggests that Abel may still have secrets and will be willing to divulge them for some American favors and suggests that future Soviet prisoners might do the same if Russia will not seek their return expeditiously. Donovan says that that the two of them must work together so that their countries do not escalate their problems to the point that war is possible. Donovan makes a bold request to make Pryor part of the deal, but it is the East Germans who apprehended him, complicating the deal.

Donovan finally meets Vogel at the lawyer’s address. Vogel says that the United States must recognize East Germany as a sovereign state in exchange for Pryor. But Donovan can refuse that demand because he is not officially representing America and can’t grant that request. Vogel says that he also is not a representative of East Germany, so basically he is Donovan’s counterpart as their respective governments want to keep their distance from the activities. Vogel agrees to provide Pryor as part of the exchange. The implication is that if East Germany handles getting Abel back for the Russians it will acquire respect on the world stage for doing the Soviets a favor. The Feds just want Powers, but Donovan insists on Pryor being part of the deal. Powers was captured and didn’t commit suicide, so Donovan cuts through any humanitarian hype about getting him back. He knows that there is no love for the pilot and that the U. S. Government just doesn’t want him to leak information.

The Soviets apply tactics seen in The Ipcress File on Powers. They keep waking him up to wear him down, hoping to squeeze information about the spy flights out of him before the trade. There is a fitting symmetrical cut to the Feds arousing Abel in his cell to go to East Berlin. Schischkin says Russia has consented to exchanging Powers for Abel. Donovan thinks he also has a deal to get back Pryor, who everyone knows is not a spy, from the East Germans. But when he meets Vogel again the lawyer is angry that Donovan has made a deal for getting two-for-one. East Germany wants all the credit for getting Abel. Donovan again uses his insurance argument that this transaction is all part of one deal. Donovan rides in Vogel’s car because he is going to West Berlin. Vogel points out the devastation in East Berlin and reflects his country’s anger at Russia for deciding not to rebuild the city. He deliberately speeds the car and the police stop them. Vogel knows that without the proper credentials the authorities will detain Donovan.

The film then provides shots of what is now four incarcerated individuals in this story: Powers, Abel, Pryor and now Donovan. The police release Donovan and, as he rides the train to West Berlin, he witnesses the shooting of people trying to scale the Berlin Wall. That scene adds visceral shock to the horrors taking place in the world.

The U. S. Government has been keeping Donovan under wraps and placed him in an obscure, dingy, cold dwelling. He decides to be defiant considering what he has endured and shows up at the Hilton and orders a proper breakfast at the place where CIA agent Hoffman is staying. He points out to Hoffman that his night in jail wasn’t much worse than where the CIA set him up to stay. Donovan learns that the East German Attorney General, Herald Ott (Burghart Klaubner), called to meet Donovan, but Hoffman sees that as nothing important since they will be getting Powers.

Donovan never wavers from his moral imperative of trying to get Pryor returned. Donovan takes the meeting with Ott who is congenial about exchanging Pryor for Abel but is outraged when Donovan mentions Powers. Ott says the release of an innocent man is understandable, but why care about what in essence he sees as spilled milk when it comes to Powers. Ott gets a call and Donovan waits outside Ott’s office and a worker there tells Donovan the Attorney General had to leave. Here is where Donovan takes advantage of his unofficial negotiating status by making the demands he sees as morally fit, unencumbered by the political posturings of the countries involved. He gives the employee a message stating that there will be no exchange for either the Soviets or East Germany if the deal isn’t for both Pryor and Powers. He adds weight to his demand with the scenario that if Abel realizes he will not return to Russia he may change his mind about cooperating with U. S. intelligence. Ott must call by the end of the day since there will be no point in going to the Glienickie Bridge in the morning if the deal is off.

As IMDb points out, as Donovan passes a movie theater on his way to calling his wife the marquee shows the film playing is Spartacus. Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay when he was on the Hollywood blacklist and this movie was the first to show his real name during that time. The inclusion points to how destructive the anti-communist fear was in America. In another scene Spielberg also includes a reference to the film One, Two, Three, a satire about the Cold War, again stressing the preoccupation with this time in history. Donovan’s family thinks he is in London and his children are too “busy” to say hello to him on the phone. Given what he’s been going through it’s funny when he asks Mary if the kids even noticed he hadn’t been “around.”

Donovan receives a call saying the exchange is on, but Pryor will be released at Checkpoint Charlie only after Abel and Powers are traded. The tenseness of the scene at the Glienickie Bridge is heightened since there are snipers from both sides in position to open fire if needed. Abel is happy to see Donovan there, knowing that this person who works for his enemy is an honorable man. Donovan’s actions show what he said earlier that demonstrating the best of American ideals is the strongest weapon against the enemies of the United States.

These two keep their sense of humor in this dangerous situation. Fellow U.S. pilot Officer Murphy (the recently Oscar-nominated Jesse Plemons) is there to identify Powers. Abel wonders who will ID him and Donovan says that he hopes it isn’t his fabricated East German family who couldn’t identify each other. When Donovan asks Abel what will happen when he gets back home Abel says he’ll “have a vodka.”  He then soberly says he will be considered to have acted honorably if he’s embraced. But, if the Soviets show him “the back seat” of a car, he might be punished. To help Donovan, Abel refuses to cross the bridge until Pryor is released. When the word comes that the student has arrived, the two prisoners cross the bridge. Donovan looks in dismay as there is no embrace for Abel, only the open door to the back seat.

Nobody will acknowledge Powers on the airplane back home. The CIA and military see him as a failed soldier no matter what he says about not divulging anything.  For them, he should have sacrificed his life as a patriot instead of allowing Russia to display him as a spy. He tells Donovan he told the Russians nothing. Donovan tells him it doesn’t matter what others believe, only Powers knows what he did. He could be talking about himself, since Donovan was hated for his defense of Abel. But he knows he did what was right legally with Abel, and secretly fashioned the release of two American prisoners without seeking thanks. He only wishes to go home.

However, when Donovan arrives home he receives acknowledgement of his efforts on TV to his family’s astonishment. A passenger on the train to work now sees the bigger picture that Donovan was a part of and smiles at him. Donovan may have come home, but when he sees boys jumping over a backyard fence, his face looks troubled as we know he is thinking of those shot at the Berlin Wall. The horror of the time has come home with him.

A title card at the end of the film says that President John F. Kennedy recruited Donovan to negotiate the release of 1,113 prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion. He arranged for 9,703 to be let go. He was an extraordinary man.

The next post will offer comments on recent streaming shows: The Good Nurse; The Watcher; Bad Sisters: The Patient.

Oscars - 2022

 Here are my picks and preferences for the 2022 Academy Awards:

Best Picture:

I do not think that either Licorice Pizza or Don’t Look Up deserve to be in this category. Licorice Pizza had a meandering plot that didn’t amount to much and the characters are unsympathetic. The dialogue was mediocre. Don’t Look Up had moments of satiric observation, but its tone was inconsistent between biting and just plain silly. It needed more focus. I thought the best film was Belfast. It successfully personalized the conflicts that occurred in Ireland between the Protestants and Catholics by focusing on a family caught up in the turmoil. Unbelievable that it was not nominated for editing or cinematography since it is an evocative and seamless creation. However, the contest seems to be between CODA and The Power of the Dog. The former deals with a hearing-impaired family in a way that is moving without being patronizing. It received the ensemble acting award from the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild Award for best film. The Power of the Dog is an impactful depiction of homophobia in the American West. It won the Golden Globe award for best drama and Jane Campion received the Directors Guild Award for her direction. I think the theme and the character portrayals in CODA will win over the Academy.

Prediction: CODA

Preference: Belfast

 

Best Actress:

Good performances all around here. Nicole Kidman received the Golden Globe for her performance as the shrewd Lucille Ball behind the scenes in Being the Ricardos, while Jessica Chastain won the SAG award for her portrayal of Tammy Fae Baker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. I’m giving the edge to Chastain, who shows a flawed character who also truly believed in her faith and was not afraid to stand up for gay people against the self-serving male TV evangelists.

Prediction: Jessica Chastain

Preference: Jessica Chastain

 Best Actor:

Will Smith has a lock on this category. He has been nominated before and is a box office favorite. He does a good job of showing a man who was passionate to the point of obsessional about having his daughters excel and be role models for African American women. The story is a little creepy on how much he controlled his daughters’ lives to fit his plan that he developed before they were even born. My pick is Benedict Cumberbatch for his scary self-loathing homosexual cowboy in The Power of the Dog. It is an uncompromising portrait of how bigotry can poison a person, in the case of this story, both figuratively and literally

Prediction: Will Smith

Preference: Benedict Cumberbatch

 

Best Supporting Actress:

I believe Oscar lightening is going to strike twice for the character of Anita in West Side Story. Rita Moreno won the award in the original and indications are that Ariana DeBose will do it again for her interpretation of the role. She is very good at singing, dancing, and acting in Steven Spielberg’s remake. I have a slight reference for Kirsten Dunst’s heart-breaking depiction of the tortured mother in The Power of the Dog.

Prediction: Ariana DeBose

Preference: Kirsten Dunst

 

Best Supporting Actor:

Another good group of performances. However, I think that Troy Kotsur’s emotional and strong father in CODA will win over the Academy members.

Prediction: Troy Kotsur

Preference: Troy Kotsur

 

Best Original Screenplay:

I hope that the Academy will honor Kenneth Branagh for his memoir of what it was like for him growing up in Belfast during the confrontations he experienced as a child. The script depicts the characters realistically and allows the audience to truly care about their fates.

Prediction: Belfast

Preference: Belfast

 

Best Adapted Screenplay:

I think CODA will be the choice for its honest depiction of the hearing-impaired family who has a daughter who can hear and, ironically, sing beautifully. She is caught between the worlds of sound and quiet.

Prediction: CODA

Preference: CODA

 

Best Director:

Jane Campion most likely will win this award for her masterful work on The Power of the Dog. As was stated she won the Directors Guild Award. She also is the only woman who has been nominated twice in this category, having previously been acknowledged for her direction of The Piano. Since I was awed by the work done on Belfast, I would prefer that Branagh be the pick.

Prediction: Jane Campion

Preference: Kenneth Branagh

Saving Private Ryan

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Just as in the recent movie 1917, the mission in Saving Private Ryan (1998) is an ironic one. In the middle of a war, where soldiers are usually sent out to kill, the goal here is to prevent death. It may seem odd to bring up Star Trek, but that film franchise raised an idea that fits here: Sometimes the need of the one outweighs the needs of the many. And this film implies that sometimes they are one in the same.

Director Steven Spielberg again explores (as he did in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E. T., War of the Worlds, and others) how ordinary people must deal with extraordinary circumstances. The film opens with an old man walking slowly through a military cemetery followed by a number of people (similar to the ending of Schindler’s List). The man is with his relatives and he begins to sob as he remembers the waves crashing on D-Day on Omaha Beach in France on June 6, 1944. The replication of the invasion that changed the course of WWII in this film has been considered by many, including those who experienced it, as possibly the most authentic rendition of the courageous and horrific nature of war. Captain Miller (another Oscar-nominated performance from Tom Hanks), although he shows that he can be cool and intelligent under pressure, reveals the effects of the stress of combat as his hand shakes while trying to drink from his canteen before the landing. During the story, Miller is at war with himself, as the trembling symbolizes, between what he considers is the right action to take, and what his orders command him to do.

The camera is right in the middle of the men, and we can almost experience their nausea as Miller’s boat rocks back and forth. Miller barks out orders as they approach land, telling the men to keep space between soldiers since groups of men provide a “juicy opportunity” for the enemy, while an infantryman by himself means firing to hit only him is “a waste of ammo.” Many soldiers don’t even get a chance to set foot on the sand as they are shot as soon as their boats open their ramps, which are called “murder holes” because they offer concentrated targets. Some soldiers try to go over the side of the craft and are weighed down by their gear. If the water doesn't drown them, bullets kill them in the water. Spielberg (winning his second directing Oscar here) gives us Miller’s point of view, and that of others, which makes us experience the devastation as if we are there on the beach with them. The camera literally bobs up and down below and above the surface of the water, simulating how it would feel if one of us was trying to stay afloat. Visual slow motion and sound muting adds to the feeling of confusion and disorientation. Bullets ring around the men (and the audience) and bombs explode everywhere. Some men are engulfed in their own napalm as a flamethrower explodes. Soldiers scream in agony. The craziness and barbarity of battle is evident through several shots. A soldier picks up the arm he just lost and tries to carry it with him. There is the futility of Miller trying to drag a wounded man to safety when he realizes after a bomb blast that he is now only holding onto the upper half of the soldier’s body. One moment can be lucky because a bullet glances off of a soldier’s helmet, but in the next moment, he is hit and killed. Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi) stops chest bleeding in one man only to have him shot in the head a second later. Such is the chaos that rules here. 

Hardly anything goes as planned. Miller’s attempts to communicate that the first wave was unsuccessful in taking the beach are thwarted, since the signalman is dead and his radio is destroyed. Most men are not where they are supposed to be as multiple companies have dispersed in a random manner. The armored division can’t make it to the beach. The Americans must take out an enemy machine gun nest that sits atop the seawall and is killing soldiers as if they are targets in a shooting gallery. Miller’s men use extended piping to set off grenades up the beach wall to clear a path toward the gunners. Miller shows his improvisational skills by attaching a mirror to a bayonet with some gum to identify the German men and their weapons. Miller sends up small groups of soldiers at a time, but Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore) comments, “Why not just hand out blindfolds,” since it’s like facing a “firing squad.” But Miller says unfortunately it is their only option and otherwise, “All we can do here is die.” The film has many instances where there are no good choices.

Private Jackson (Barry Pepper) is the crack marksman under Miller’s command. Miller tries to give him a chance to reach a firing position by courageously running in the line of fire to provide a distraction. When he regroups with Horvath, the sergeant asks what Miller’s mother would think if she saw him be that reckless. Miller responds, “I thought you were my mother.” That they can use humor in this situation is remarkable, but also one of the few tools they have to cope with what’s occurring. Jackson has a crucifix that he kisses and prays to God before shooting. Later, he even says his deadly ability is a gift from the Almighty. It gives him strength to rely on his religious beliefs, but it is ironic that he calls on a supposedly benevolent entity to help kill others. 

Others also pray as they make their last confessions or plead to live. After Jackson is successful in taking out enemy soldiers, Miller and his men follow up with supportive fire and they can now shoot their way through to exit the beach. Another example of how the situation can change quickly in battle occurs when the shooting gallery metaphor is now reversed as American soldiers attack trapped German men as they come out of a bunker. Those that are left inside are incinerated with a flamethrower. The vengeful violence of war is seen when one soldier says not to be merciful toward the Germans by shooting them, but instead urges, “Let ‘em burn!” One enemy soldier raises his hands to surrender, but an American kills him anyway. Horvath and another soldier shoot two others that raise their hands. The irony is that they are not speaking German and are Czechoslovakian prisoners forced by the Germans to be soldiers. The film suggests that war is an immoral action, and decency and ethics many times are pushed to the side. 

Private Caparzo (Vin Diesel) hands a Hitler youth knife to the Jewish Private Mellish (Adam Goldberg), who says it is now “a shabbat challah cutter.” The satisfaction of the soldier feeling a sense of justice in getting this souvenir off of a dead Nazi is evident here. But, he then immediately feels shaken as the effects of all the killing washes over him. Horvath fills a small tin with sand and labels it “France” to be added to the ones that read “Africa” and “Italy,” which shows how much combat he has seen and illustrates how this conflict is truly a world war. As they take a break from the hostility, Miller’s hand is shaking again as the violence catches up to him while he looks down at the carnage on the beach of death. The camera then focuses in on one of the dead soldiers whose backpack reads, “Ryan. S.,” which brings us to the central plot of the story.

The scene shifts to a typing pool of women preparing the numerous condolence letters to be sent to the families of dead soldiers. One typist realizes that there are several Ryans killed in action. Three of the men turn out to be brothers. The fourth brother, James (Matt Damon), parachuted into Normandy and he is the youngest of the siblings. His whereabouts and condition are unknown. The mother lives on a farm in Iowa and a sense of dread reflects on her face as she sees the military vehicle approach her front door, and an officer and a priest approach her. She collapses on the floor before she even realizes the extent of her loss. 

The news reaches to the level of the U. S. Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell). He has a difficult decision to make (another one here), since he is advised that the parachutists were scattered all over the place, and even if Ryan survived the drop, he was probably killed in action. Also, anybody traveling through enemy territory to find the man would probably be KIA too. Marshall has a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to a mother who lost five sons in the Civil War. Marshall was so moved by the sacrifice of that one family that he recites the contents by heart. Marshall believes that Private Ryan is alive, and he is sending a rescue team to find him and “get him the hell out of there” before his mother loses her last boy. He feels that her family has sacrificed enough on what Lincoln called, “the altar of freedom,” a joining of a religious image with a secular abstract one.

In the second act of the movie, Miller reports to his superior officer, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson (Dennis Farina). While waiting, Miller observes officers shaving, and enjoying coffee and a large sandwich. He must feel bitter that these men are experiencing such comforts after he and his men went through hell to allow these officers to make themselves at home. Anderson tells Miller he gets tough assignments because he can handle them, so he assigns Miller’s squad the job of rescuing Ryan. To acknowledge Horvath’s concern about the difficulty of the detail, Miller wittily admits it will be like looking for “a needle in a stack of needles.” Miller needs an interpreter and seeks out Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies), who speaks French and German. It is immediately evident that Upham does not have the stomach for combat. He is a nerdy type whose first response is to tell Miller he has not been part of the fighting and has not fired his weapon since boot camp. Even after what he has been through, Miller is still able to politely dismiss Upham’s reservations and tells him to get his gear. Miller actually finds Upham’s bumbling amusing as the corporal grabs a German helmet by mistake and juggles his typewriter, which Miller tosses since Upham must replace it with a weapon for this assignment. 

The squad is not thrilled with the newcomer’s presence and the assignment in general, since it seems to them that they are risking their lives for a public relations stunt. Upham is awkward as he tries to connect with the others, saying he thought soldiers should bond like brothers (which can apply literally to Ryan but also to the connection between combat comrades). Caparzo laughs off making a personal connection, saying that Miller won’t even tell them anything about his past. There is even a pool set up as the men guess Miller’s background. Later Private Reiben (Edward Burns) jokes that Miller was assembled out of dead body parts at Officer Training School. The feeling here is that they must rely on each other, but the closer they become, the harder will be the effect of losing a comrade. 

Reiben questions the logic of risking eight men for one private. Wade rightly points out the terrible impact on Ryan’s mother, but Reiben says they all have mothers. The bookish Upham quotes the famous lines from poet Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade,” by saying, “Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die.” The sarcastic Mellish considers it gibberish, but Miller says Upham is right. As soldiers it is their duty to follow orders, even if they are “fubar.” (It takes a while, as a sort of initiation prank, before the squad lets Upham know that the acronym means “fucked up beyond all recognition”). The questioning here gets at the central theme of the movie, which is, whether there is any time that soldiers can question the authority of those in higher positions. In the midst of battle, there is little time to be democratic. But, suppose the command is to do something considered irrational or even immoral? People have committed atrocities based on the reason that they were “just following orders.”

In this dangerous world even the drops in a pouring rainstorm hitting puddles seem like bullets landing. Miller’s squad reaches a town under fire from the Germans. Sergeant Hill (Paul Giamatti) is disappointed that the arriving men are not backups to offer support. But in order to proceed with the mission, Miller has to aid the other soldiers. A German on a loudspeaker says, “The Statue of Liberty is kaput.” Miller’s response is, “That’s disconcerting.” It is an example of using dark, understated humor to deal with a dire situation. Mellish ‘s character, as seen before, is more forthright in his comic remarks, and yells at the man on the bullhorn, “Your father was circumscribed by my rabbi, you prick.” These short lines illustrate the ability of the script to establish the differences in characters. Even small actions accomplish these distinctions. Under fire, Caparzo picks up fallen fruit from the ground, which not only shows calm while ducking a barrage of bullets, but also the need to eat, which is especially important to an Italian (which I can personally attest to). 

They come across a French family whose home now is the second floor of a building without a facade. As Upham translates, the father says he wants to give up his little girl so the soldiers can protect her. War literally rips apart the home and the members of a family. Caparzo, saying that the family’s little girl reminds him of his niece, takes the child and gives her his rosary. Just like Jackson’s crucifix necklace, here is another contrasting mingling of religion in the midst of violence. Miller yells at him, saying that he must leave the civilians there. Caparzo says taking the children to the next town is “the decent thing to do.” Miller says, “We’re not here to do the decent thing! We’re here to follow fuckin’ orders!” They are in the middle of a war, and Miller here argues that decency is not left to individual determination. 

Coming under the cynical axiom, “No good deed goes unpunished,” a sniper wounds the compassionate Caparzo. The enemy creates sympathy so that other soldiers will expose themselves to danger and try to rescue their comrade. In the upside-down existence of war, human caring is used as a tool to do more harm. Caparzo has a letter in his pocket that he wants sent home to his father which will act as a prayerful goodbye. But this farewell literally and figuratively has blood on it. The camera then shifts to the viewpoint of the German sniper. Through his telescopic sight he can see Caparzo talking to someone, so he knows where American soldiers are taking cover. He can’t act on this knowledge because the marksman Jackson, again invoking divine influence, shoots him. But, the damage is done as Caparzo is dead. The young French girl goes back to her family, hitting her father for having exposed her to danger, but here again he had no good choice to make given the harrowing alternatives. Miller says, as if summing up a lesson, that the death shows how they can’t take kids with them. He gets his men to move on quickly from this loss by yelling out orders. Because they have sacrificed one of their own for one man who is a stranger, Reiben curses Ryan, and, thus, the mission for which he and the others must risk their lives. 

 Hill sends a soldier to get Captain Hamill (Ted Danson) to see if the officer knows anything about Ryan. Hill sits down near a building just to check his boots. He accidentally knocks over a wooden beam that crashes through the wall of the building, revealing that German soldiers are hiding inside. One moment there is something trivial happening that then leads to a lethal situation. The scene again demonstrates how fragile and shifting existence is in war. The Americans and the Germans shout at each other, but nobody really wants to break the standoff which will cascade into annihilation, showing how aggression begets more aggression.  Luckily for the Americans, Hamill and some of his men have arrived at a spot above the confrontation and eliminate the Germans. Again, we have humor to offset this most dismal of circumstances. Horvath says, “it’s enough to make you old,” implying rapid aging. Miller counters with “Let’s hope so,” offering the hope to live a long life. 

What follows is a different form of cruelty perpetrated by the misunderstanding that results in the chaos of combat. Miller tells a soldier named Ryan (Nathan Fillion) that his brothers have died. The man breaks down crying and asks how it happened. When Miller tells him they were killed in action, he says that’s impossible because his brothers are in grammar school. He’s James Ryan from Minnesota, not Iowa, and has a different middle name. But Minnesota Ryan is so shaken that he wonders if it’s really his brothers who are the ones that are dead, and starts to repeat that he must get home to make sure his siblings are fine. Again, from one moment to another, lives can become undone. As Miller questions soldiers in Hamill’s camp, he finds that the mayhem is widespread, since parachutists fell far from their targeted landing sites. Hamill says they could use Miller’s squad, but he admits he understands Miller’s mission, which surprises Miller. Hamill says he has brothers, too, and he tells Miller to find Ryan and get him home. There is no definite right or wrong way to respond here. A viewpoint depends on one’s own experiences.

The squad spends the night in an empty church, with candles burning, as if a service is going on. It is another religious image that can mean many things: Is God on the side of the Americans?; Has the deity abandoned humankind because of its destructive ways?; Has the waging of war left a void of spirituality that is symbolized by the abandoned church? Horvath notes Miller’s shaking hand and humorously says that the captain needs to go into another line of work. Wade copies Caparzo’s bloody letter so he can send a cleansed version to the dead soldier’s dad (the letter eventually passes to Miller, and finally to Reiben as the wartime band of brothers is respected). Miller and Horvath laugh about the antics of a soldier named Vecchio (which in Italian means “old,” suggesting combat ages people, as Horvath noted). The name reminds Miller of another person of Italian heritage, Caparzo, and the mood shifts. Miller says with a grim reaper look on his face that he has lost ninety-four men under his command. But he says he tells himself that those lost saved so many others (in a way comparing the sacrifices to what Jesus did). He then gives a smile and says, “and that’s how simple it is,” admitting to the way he needs to justify his actions. Miller says that’s how he rationalizes “making the choice between the mission and the men.” His line sets up Horvath’s response that the situation now is different because “this time the mission is a man.” Ryan is one person so the only way to justify the mission is by what comes of him later. Miller says, “This Ryan better be worth it. He’d better go home and cure some disease or invent a longer-lasting lightbulb or something.” But as things stand at this point, Miller may continue to carry out his orders, but inwardly he feels, “I wouldn’t trade ten Ryans for one Vecchio or one Caparzo.” Horvath adds an “Amen,” which continues the need to attach some form of religious truth in a desperate situation. 

Jackson does not seem to have any conflict in his beliefs since, as Reiben observers, Jackson can fall asleep immediately. Mellish observes that he must have a “clear conscience,” implying that Jackson knows he is righteous in what he is doing. Reiben, referring to how Jackson must feel, paraphrases a religious quote by saying, “If God’s on our side, who the hell could be on theirs?” The scholarly Upham provides the exact line, “If God be for us, who could be against us?” Although most would agree if there ever was a justifiable war, it was this one that stopped Hitler and his Nazi agenda. But, the film here is talking about war in general, and there have been many fatalities because leaders said God was on their sides. 

Miller walks among the talking men, telling them to get some sleep, tucking them in as if they are children under his paternal care. Miller asks how the untested Upham is doing. His response surprises Miller. The man says that what he is undergoing is good for him, and again uses a quote that advocates that war can strengthen a man’s resolve. In the absence of real experience, Upham turns to books which can inform but are no substitute for actual immersion in the horrors of war. We realize that Miller is an educated person since he knows the lines are from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and says the writer was probably just, “finding the bright side” in an otherwise unpleasant situation.

The squad arrives at a rally point where a glider went down. The craft was too heavy because extra metal was welded on to protect a general who was a passenger. The pilot wasn’t told of the extra weight. We have here an incompetent military action that is a counterproductive attempt to shield a high-ranking officer. It also shows a parallel attempt to save one life at the expense of others. The comparison to their mission is not lost on the squad. However, Miller’s team is trying to save a man whose average family has already suffered great loss due to the international conflict. The squad sorts through the dog tags of all the dead soldiers at this outpost to see if Ryan’s is among them. They make jokes, saying they can use them as poker chips. As airborne servicemen look glumly on, the compassionate medic, Wade, who has had to treat the wounded and those who he could not save, is outraged by this cold activity, and grabs the tags. Out of desperation, Miller calls out to the marching men if any know anything about Ryan. He finds out that the private is at the town of Ramelle, which is strategic because a bridge there allows tanks to cross the river. 

On their way they encounter another enemy bunker housing a machine gun. The men feel that they should just go around the threat since they see it as an unnecessary risk to engage it. They throw Miller’s words back at him, saying it is not their mission. But Miller, after seeing all of the casualties along the way, appears to want to look at the bigger picture now, and worries about the next group of soldiers that have to deal with this German military obstacle. He now says their mission is “to win the war.” But the assault ends in Wade’s agonizing death. 

There is one German alive (Joerg Stadler), and the others, except for Upham, want to kill the soldier. Miller wants him alive long enough to dig Wade’s grave. Upham wants to know if Miller is going to allow the others to kill the German. He tells the captain, “This is not right, sir.” Here again the film presents the difficulty in determining what is the “right” thing to do in a situation where all of society’s restrictions have been pushed aside. Miller, most likely feeling guilt and a desire for revenge, does not give Upham a straight answer. Upham, the outside observer here, asks out loud, “What is happening?” His disorientation is evident as the rules he lives by are not in play here. 

Miller’s hand is shaking more now and he sobs in private, allowing himself to feel the loss of Wade, and his culpability in the man’s death. As the German digs, Upham, trying to hold onto his humanity, offers water to the prisoner, but Reiben stops him from showing any kind of mercy. A little later Upham allows the enemy soldier to take a break and smoke a cigarette. The German seems to be trying to exploit Upham’s sympathy, joking about Mickey Mouse. When the other Americans arrive, the German acts desperately to delay any execution by wanting to keep digging. He says he likes America and spews out several American slang expressions. He even tries to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and says, “Fuck Hitler.” Would an American soldier captured by the Germans try the same ploys? 

Upham pleads that the man is a prisoner-of-war and they can’t just execute him. Miller allows the soldier to keep his blindfold on, walk a distance away so he won’t know where the Americans are going, and then surrender himself to an Allied patrol. Reiben, Mellish, and Jackson don’t understand how Miller could let the man go. Upham says it’s against the “rules” to shoot a P.O.W. Reiben says that the “rules just walked off,” which shows how war’s suspension of life’s laws can lead to losing one’s soul. A brief mutiny occurs led by Reiben who questions angrily Miller’s orders to attack the German bunker and release the prisoner. He wants to know why Ryan “is more important than two of our guys!” Horvath attempts to discipline Reiben, throwing the man to the ground for being “out of line.” For Horvath, whatever is the decision of the commanding officer, a soldier must follow the direction of that “line” set forth by the leader. But what if the order is morally compromised, or what if the view of the subordinate is warped? Again, the movie does not offer easy answers. Reiben says he is through with the mission. Horvath tells him if he leaves he’ll shoot him. 

As shouting and arguing breaks out among the soldiers and Horvath points a gun at Reiben, Miller is at first quiet in the mayhem. He then diverts and diffuses the situation by asking his men what the pool is up to on him. He discloses that he has been a schoolteacher for the past eleven years. He teaches English composition in a small town in Pennsylvania, and was also the baseball coach. His background seems unsuited to lead men into battle, but it is obvious that he has stepped up to serve his country as an officer. He admits that he has been changed by the war to the point he wonders if his wife will even recognize him or believe what he has undergone. He doesn’t care about Ryan, he says, but if he can save him, then maybe it earns him a better chance to return to his wife, because killing only takes him “farther away from home.” Here is where the film suggests, as some religions do, that saving one man can save others. He offers Reiben the chance to leave, but after all of the men bury Wade, he sticks with the squad.

On the road, they take cover when a German armored vehicle rides by. It sustains a bazooka attack and Miller’s squad shoots the German soldiers trying to get away. On the other side of the road are soldiers who disabled the German half-track led by Corporal Henderson (Max Martini). With Henderson is the elusive Private Ryan. After Miller tells Ryan about his brothers, besides having to deal with the loss, he also feels he is abandoning his post. His orders are to hold the bridge in the bombed-out town until reinforcements arrive. Ryan finds out that Miller’s squad has lost two men on the mission to bring him back. These additional deaths for which Ryan had nothing to say about makes him sum up what war is when he says, “It doesn’t make any sense.” He tells Miller that they should tell his mother that he remained “with the only brothers I have left.”  Here again we see how the individual is inextricably intertwined with the fate of others.

We have entered the third act of the story. Miller has to decide as to whether to let Ryan stay and the squad leave, or help him out in the current predicament. Miller asks Horvath, who says maybe they can look back and be able to say, “that saving Private Ryan was the one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole god-awful, shitty mess.” Thus, the mission incorporates more sacrifice but also a broader fight to do “the decent thing,” which Miller earlier said was not what they were there for. But since Miller has become convinced that saving Ryan may morally grant him passage home, he is onboard with what Horvath says. Miller sets up a strategy to have marksman Jackson go up a tower and shoot the enemy from above. He wants to bring German tanks down the main road toward the bridge and disable their treads with “sticky bombs.” They are placed in socks and covered with grease that will attach to the tanks. Reiben, again coping with humor, says, “now we have to surrender our socks.” If the Germans get past them, then they must retreat and blow up the bridge, which will not be a victory but will stop the enemy from using it.

Mellish says the soldiers will be moving around a lot and he gives Upham the task of carrying and feeding the others ammunition since he is the novice when it comes to combat. The sad singing of Edith Piaf plays, fitting the mood, but the soldiers joke to cope during this calm before the storm prelude. Horvath sways his handgun to the music, an image combining creation through art and destruction through violence. Ryan talks with Miller, and says he can’t picture the faces of his brothers, which shows how war can wipe out all that is good about life. Miller tries to help him, saying when he thinks about home, he pictures what gave him solace, such as a “hammock in the backyard, or my wife pruning the rose bushes in a pair of my old work gloves.” These are the simple things that are reminders of how things were, and contain the hope of returning to what it was like after the current horror ends. Ryan remembers a crazy, funny incident that involved him and his three brothers, one of which was literally trying to have a roll in the hay with a girl. After laughing, the grief sets in again, and Ryan says that event was the last time the four were together, which was two years prior. 

From fond nostalgia, to quiet melancholy and now to imminent danger, war again shows how quickly it disrupts the timeline. The rumbling of armory ruptures the tranquility and the soldiers disperse to their positions. Jackson in the tower signals that there are a couple of tanks coming and the Americans are very outnumbered by the approaching German infantry. During the ensuing battle, the camera, like it did at the beginning of the film, puts us at ground level, and makes us feel like we are soldiers, running through a firestorm of bullets. Miller tries to keep Ryan out of danger as much as possible. But the surprise here is that Reiben, who almost led a revolt against continuing the mission, rescues Ryan from an explosion. It seems saving Ryan has become the goal of the whole squad to achieve salvation amid the hell of battle. 

But there will be tragic sacrifice for that atonement. Despite hitting many of his targets, Jackson misses a couple, which is an omen of what is to come. A German tank zeroes in on his position above, fires, and the blast kills Jackson. Upham cringes in hiding and hesitates bringing ammo. Mellish gets into hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier in one of the buildings. Upham, ironically wearing belts of bullets but who is only fit to handle a typewriter and not a weapon, ascends the stairs slowly instead of rushing to Mellish’s aid. The German kills Mellish with a bayonet to the heart. The enemy soldier heads down the stairs, walks past the terrified Upham, and doesn’t bother with him. He knows that Upham is not a threat. This image is a damning one since the enemy soldier is telling Upham that the American is impotent in the presence of his own fear.

Horvath is wounded in an exchange with a German, and grabs the frozen Upham as the Americans must retreat to the “Alamo” spot, the bridge that must be destroyed to prevent the Germans from using it. Upham hides again while the others scramble. He is like a ghost and the Germans pass over him, which, ironically, saves him, although he is spiritually dead. Horvath is shot multiple times. His tough stoicism is in evidence as he says he just had the “wind knocked out” of him. As Miller prepares to blow up the bridge, an explosion knocks the detonator out of his hands. There is symmetry at this point as Miller experiences the same disorientation that occurred on Omaha Beach, as the camera again slows to jerky movements and the sound is muted. Miller sees Ryan crying over a lost comrade and he realizes that Horvath is dead. In an ironic moment, the captured German who Miller set free is here and shoots Miller as he tries to retrieve the detonator. Even though he is dying, Miller refuses to give up, shooting at an approaching German tank with his handgun. The tank explodes and Miller sees that an American plane has destroyed it. More planes fly overhead attacking the Germans. The timid Upham survives and comes out of hiding to capture a group of Germans, including the one for whom he asked for mercy and now has shot Miller. Upham uses his rifle just this one time and kills the German soldier, probably out of revenge and guilt. But he contradictorily allows the other Germans to leave. The film suggests that war is irrational, and it creates conflicts not only between others but also within individuals.

Reiben’s attempt to help Miller is futile. He calls for a medic as the still alive Ryan kneels near Miller. The airborne soldier tells Miller that the American planes are P-51’s, known as “Tank-busters.” Miller continues the film’s seemingly conflicting mingling of violence and religion by calling them, “Angels on our shoulders.” Miller’s last words are to Ryan as he wants him to play forward the huge sacrifice made to save him. Miller says, “Earn this. Earn it.” 

The words written by General Marshall to Ryan’s mother assuring her of the return of her son who distinguished himself in combat are spoken, as he repeats Lincoln’s words. Ryan’s young face transforms into his older self (Harrison Young) who was in the first scene of the movie. Ryan visits the grave of Miller. He addresses Miller by saying he has led his life the best he could and hopes he earned what they did for him. His words speak for everyone who owes a debt to those who fought and still fight for the lives of others. 

Since words are important, the next film is appropriately titled, The Words.