Top SFX shots No.47: Saving Private Ryan

Martin Anderson

Published on Dec 29, 2008

Just as efforts such as Cube (1997) and Robert Zemeckis' Death Becomes Her (1992) and Forrest Gump (1994, see #13) were beginning to bring 'body horror' into the CGI age, Steven Spielberg turned CGI mutilation to arguably its most serious use in recreating the visceral horror of the Normandy landings. If not the most violent film ever made, Saving Private Ryan must be in the top 10 somewhere, but has so sombre an ambit as to inspire respect instead of disgust. The shot in question was - at least for me - educational, since I had wondered before just how lethal a bullet could be through water. Soldiers fleeing into the sea from their decimated landing-craft found that the ocean was no protection against suitable artillery, and the zipping projectiles, complete with foamy trails, are totally convincing here.

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Users Comments

Re: Top SFX shots No.47: Saving Private Ryan
Posted By seigi009 1 January 1, 2009 06:59:20 PM

Actually, bullets fired from a machine gun or rifle at the time would disintegrate upon impact of the water. That's why the bullet trails were done digitally. If you are a couple meters underwater you would be immune to bullets. Mythbusters proved this.