saving private ryan is a 1998 american war movie directed by steven spielberg and written by robert rodat. set during the invasion of normandy in world war ii, the movie is known for its graphic portrayal of war and for the intensity of its second scene of 24 minutes, a depiction of the omaha beach assault during the normandy landings. the movie follows united states army rangers captain john h. miller (tom hanks) and his squad (tom sizemore, edward burns, barry pepper, giovanni ribisi, vin diesel, adam goldberg, and jeremy davies) as they search for a paratrooper, private first class james francis ryan (matt damon), the last surviving brother of a family of four, with his three other brothers having been killed in action.