Revisiting the Grim Heroism of <em>Saving Private Ryan</em>, 20 Years Later
Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic was a box-office smash and an Oscar winner that clearly informed the darker tone of his future projects.
Not long into the central mission of Saving Private, which is set in the days after the Normandy landings in World War II, the group led by Captain Miller (played by Tom Hanks) comes across a French family in a bombed-out house. The civilians plead for the soldiers to take their crying daughter to safety. Miller warns them away, but Private Caparzo (Vin Diesel) grabs her, saying the “decent thing to do” would be to take her to the next town. “We’re not here to do the decent thing, we’re here to follow fuckin’ orders!” Miller barks, taking the kid back from him. Seconds later, Caparzo is shot and killed by a German sniper.
