Okay, so let’s set the scene here: an Army historian with nearly four decades under his belt drops his “official” list of the most accurate movies about U.S. soldiers and combat… and somehow “Saving Private Ryan” didn’t make the cut? I mean, come on! That’s like naming the top five greatest guitarists and leaving out Hendrix. It’s the cinematic equivalent of friendly fire!
The man behind this hot take is Dave Hogan, a recently retired Army historian from the U.S. Army Center for Military History. And look, no one’s questioning his credentials. The guy’s got the resume. But omitting “Saving Private Ryan”—a film that redefined how Hollywood shows war? That’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for anyone who watched those opening 20 minutes on Omaha Beach and walked out of the theater feeling like they aged ten years.
Hogan’s reasoning? He says the movie “looks” realistic but feels too much like a “typical World War II movie.” And yeah, he’s not wrong about the plot sounding a bit far-fetched—sending a whole unit into enemy territory to find and pull one guy out. Sure, it’s not exactly standard operating procedure. But let’s not forget, that wild premise was loosely based on a true story, and the mission was never the point—it was the cost of that mission, the price paid by those soldiers. It was about duty, brotherhood, and the psychological toll of combat.
Meanwhile, “The Thin Red Line” made Hogan’s list. And listen, it’s a gorgeous film in its own right. But “accurate portrayal”? You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d wandered into a National Geographic documentary with a side of whispered poetry. Half the time you’re not sure who’s fighting who, and the other half you’re wondering if you accidentally hit the “ambient meditation” playlist on Spotify.
Let’s talk realism for a second. “Saving Private Ryan” didn’t just look real—it “felt” real. The sheer terror when that ramp drops on the Higgins boat. The sound design that makes your ears ring. The chaos, the confusion, the randomness of death. It didn’t glamorize the war; it grounded it in mud, blood, and moral ambiguity. You saw characters make mistakes, break down, fall apart—and that, right there, “is” accurate.
And how about that moment when Tom Hanks returns from a harrowing mission, only to see rear-echelon troops casually sipping hot coffee and eating sandwiches? That contrast between the frontlines and the rear—that’s authenticity.
That’s the reality of war most movies don’t dare to show. Oh, and yes, we “did” notice Matt Damon’s toothpaste-commercial smile. A little too Colgate-fresh for someone living on K-rations and adrenaline. But if that’s the biggest flaw, we’ll take it.
Now, to be fair, Hogan did include “Black Hawk Down”, which absolutely belongs on any list that values realism. That film captured modern urban combat with brutal intensity, and yes, it might hold the world record for most sincere uses of the word “hooah” in a 2-hour runtime.
But still… no “Private Ryan”?
With all due respect, Mr. Hogan, we salute your service—but when it comes to cinematic portrayals of U.S. soldiers in combat, we’ll have to call this one a tactical misstep.
