It was ranked #10 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time, #8 on their list of the 10 greatest films in the “Epic” genre in 2008, it’s one of Quentin Tarantino‘s favorite films, it’s consistently ranked among prestigious “top” lists of greatest war films, it is currently ranked 29 on IMDb’s list of its 250 top-rated films, and it won five Oscars including one for Best Director for Steven Spielberg. Suffice it to say, “Saving Private Ryan” was, and still is, a pop culture hallmark. Almost exactly 20 years after its theatrical release on July 24, 1998, its visceral style still influences war films today. And, to think, at one point, Spielberg didn’t think anybody would show up to the theater to see his film.

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