Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American film set during the invasion of Normandy in France during World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and not only received universal critical acclaim, but also won several awards. Indeed, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a war film as realistically portrayed as this one. Some scenes in the movie were strongly impressed on my memory and still haunt me. Especially, the first thirty minutes is a battle scene which directly shows the horror of war. A soldier who has his arm blown off picks up his arm as if he will need it later and another soldier is trying to hold his intestines in his stomach. What a disgusting scene it is! However, I was deeply focused on the movie without realizing it. On one side, terrified people pray for help and the other side wants to kill the enemies. Divided as enemies, however, they are the same people who want to return to their home. By the end of World War II, Omaha Beach was full of young victims’ blood. After watching this movie, the biggest lesson I felt was ‘war should never happen again.’ Despite the three-hours running time and sickening violence, you should watch this film at least once. Believe me, you will not regret your viewing experience.

By Kim Won-il (Dept. of Electrical Engineering)