Synopsis

After the D-Day invasion, Captain John Miller leads a small squad through war-torn Normandy to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Ordered to bring Ryan home, the soldiers question whether one man's life is worth risking their own. Their mission becomes a test of duty, sacrifice, loyalty, and the human cost of war.

Factoids & Trivia

• Screenwriter Robert Rodat was inspired by a monument commemorating four brothers killed during the American Civil War. He adapted the idea into a World War II story loosely connected to the real-life Niland brothers.

• The Omaha Beach landing was filmed at Curracloe Beach in County Wexford, Ireland, rather than in Normandy. The production used hundreds of extras, including members of the Irish Army Reserve.

• The Omaha Beach sequence reportedly cost about $11 million and took approximately 24 minutes of the finished film. Amputees wearing prosthetic limbs were used among the extras to portray severely wounded soldiers.

• Most of the principal performers, with Matt Damon as the notable exception, underwent several days of demanding military-style training before filming.

• The film received 11 Academy Award nominations and won five, including awards for directing, cinematography, film editing, sound, and sound effects editing.