Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American
epic war film directed by
Steven Spielberg and written by
Robert Rodat. Set during the
Invasion of Normandy in
World War II, the film 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 film 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. The film was a co-production between
DreamWorks Pictures,
Paramount Pictures,
Amblin Entertainment, and
Mutual Film Company, with DreamWorks distributing the film in North America while Paramount released the film internationally.