One of the greatest war films ever made just landed on Netflix
If you've been scrolling for something that actually sticks with you, here's your sign. Saving Private Ryan is back on Netflix UK, and it still hits like a steel boot to the chest.
Maybe it's just timing, but the film feels even more immediate now. It's raw, human, and uncomfortably real - the kind of movie you remember in flashes days later.
The setup (and why it works)
Steven Spielberg (movies and tv series)'s 1998 epic follows Captain John Miller (movies and tv series) (Tom Hanks (movies and tv series)) leading a small squad into Nazi-occupied France. Their mission: find Private James Francis (movies and tv series) Ryan (Matt Damon (movies and tv series)) and bring him home after his brothers are killed in action.
That's the plot. But the film is really about what it costs to be brave, and the weight of doing the right thing when none of it makes sense. You feel the fear, the doubt, the tiny moments of grace. And you sit with the choices.
That opening 24 minutes
We all remember it. The D-Day landing sequence still feels like you're standing in the surf - sand, smoke, bullets, the awful silence between explosions. It's not spectacle for the sake of it. It's shock, confusion, and survival stitched into every frame.
And decades later, it hasn't dulled. If anything, it's even more bracing. You brace with it.
The cast pulls you in
Hanks gives one of his most quietly devastating performances - steady voice, shaking hands. Around him, the squad feels lived-in: Edward Burns (movies and tv series), Giovanni Ribisi (movies and tv series), and a young Vin Diesel (movies and tv series), all bringing a rough-edged honesty that makes every choice matter.
There's no gloss here. Just people trying to hold onto their humanity in the worst place imaginable.
Why it still matters
- It treats war with honesty - never glorified, never easy.
- It pairs scale with intimacy: massive set pieces, tiny moral decisions.
- It shaped what came after, from Band of Brothers to Call of Duty.
- It endures because it asks simple, brutal questions about sacrifice.
The legacy
Saving Private Ryan picked up five Oscars, including Best Director for Spielberg. If you like receipts, the Academy's 1999 winners page has them all right there.
See the 1999 Academy Awards winners
If you want a quick refresher before you press play, the original trailer is still a gut check.
Where to watch
It's streaming now on Netflix UK. Availability can change and may vary by region, so check your local catalog if you're outside the UK.
Got a free evening and a strong stomach? Queue it up. And let it sit with you a bit after the credits - that's where this film does some of its heaviest lifting.
