Line #106 Characters/SavingPrivateRyan


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3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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6	[[foldercontrol]]
7
8	[[folder:Captain John H. Miller]]
9	->Played by: Creator/TomHanks
10	->Dubbed by: Creator/JeanPhilippePuymartin (European French)
11	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/480e88d8dafb36c75309d53d50459cd0.jpg]]
12	[[caption-width-right:325:''"Keep the sand out of your weapons. Keep those actions clear. I'll see you on the beach."'']]
13
14	TheCaptain and leader of the eight man band sent to find Private Ryan. Captain Miller leads 'Charlie' Company of the 2nd Ranger Battalion during the D-Day landings. He is a ShellShockedVeteran, his hand often shaking when in the presence of danger. It is revealed he is a school teacher, due to the squad's MultipleChoicePast bets.
15	----
16	* BadassTeacher: [[spoiler:Given he was a schoolteacher before the war...]]
17	* TheCaptain: Serves as the top-ranked soldier in the squad.
18	* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: The smooth to Horvath's rough.
19	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:After being mortally wounded, he props himself up against an abandoned motorcycle and uses his last remaining shots on an approaching tank]].
20	* DisconnectedByDeath: Miller tries to get a communications tech to contact reinforcements via radio, only to find the tech has had his head blown open the third time he goes to talk to him, and then finds the telephone gear has also been shot up.
21	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Miller asks Ryan to make something good of his life at the end of the final battle.
22	* AFatherToHisMen: The fact that he is leading a bunch of young men through an incredibly brutal and graphic war in which the world is basically tearing itself apart clearly weighs heavily on him, and remembers the exact number of men he's lost under his command. [[spoiler:After Wade dies, he breaks down crying when he's alone.]]
23	* FrankensteinsMonster: Invoked and discussed. One of the guesses about his old life is that he was assembled from leftover organs of dead GI's.
24	* TheHero: The main character of the film around whom the action centers around.
25	* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:He is mortally wounded by a prisoner he had extended mercy to when the two of them meet on the battlefield a second time.]]
26	* HeroicBSOD: Occurs twice in similar fashions at the beginning and end of the film, where close explosions render him in a [[SteelEarDrums soundless daze.]]
27	* ManlyTears: Captain Miller sobs to himself after [[spoiler:Wade's death.]]
28	* MultipleChoicePast: Guessed at by his troops. [[spoiler:Revealed that he's a schoolteacher after Wade dies and Reiben threatens to leave]].
29	* MysteriousPast: To the point his troops are placing bets on where Miller comes from and what he did, and Reiben even jokes that he was assembled "outta spare body parts of dead [=GIs=]".
30	* PreWarCivilianCareer: [[spoiler:He's a teacher. When he reveals it, it's a deliberate [[InvokedTrope invocation]] of a WhamLine to simmer down inter-unit hostility that is about to go out of control because they're grieving over Wade's death.]]
31	* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler:Manages to get Private Ryan home and hold the line at Ramelle before TheCavalry arrives, but at the cost of his life and all but three soldiers]].
32	* ShellShockedVeteran: He can't wait to get home, and a nervous problem is even making his hand shake.
33	* TheStrategist: As TheCaptain, always has to coordinate plans on the fly.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath]]
37	->Played by Creator/TomSizemore
38	[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f3bc5b4139a683031255a6fd240da88e.jpg]]
39	[[caption-width-right:236:''"This time the mission is the man."'']]
40	Captain Miller's [[TheLancer Lancer]], Sergeant Horvath is loyal to his captain and has battled alongside him in numerous countries.
41	----
42	* {{BFG}}: Uses a bazooka during the final battle, using it to blow up a tank destroyer and try to slow down the last Tiger tank.
43	* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: The rough to Miller's smooth.
44	* CatchPhrase: "We're in business!"
45	* TheCollector: His bag is full of labelled tins containing earth from numerous battlefields he's fought on through the war.
46	* DiesWideOpen:[[spoiler:In an iconic and chilling example.]]
47	* ImplacableMan: Seemingly appears this way when [[spoiler:he is shot multiple times and keeps on running. He dies shortly after though.]]
48	* ImprobableWeaponUser: In the Battle of Ramelle, after reaching a MexicanStandoff with a German, both of their rifles jam, the German throws his helmet, causing Horvath to throw his helmet at the German.
49	* TheLancer: Miller's second-in-command.
50	* MadeOfIron: He gets shot several times during the final battle, to little clear effect. [[spoiler:The one he takes through the back as he's running over the bridge is the one that finally does him in.]]
51	* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: The final battle has what looks like a bullet or a piece of shrapnel go straight through him, to which Horvath replies as "just got the wind knocked out of me". [[spoiler:[[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome He dies shortly later.]]]] In an earlier scene in the same sequence, he gets shot twice and his only reaction is to yell out "son of a bitch!" several times and toss his empty Colt at the Germans before running away.
52	* MercyKill:[[spoiler:Gives Wade a fatal morphine dose so he'll die in less pain.]]
53	* OralFixation: Chews tobacco.
54	* SergeantRock: While Miller is a more reasonable and chilly figure, Horvath serves as a tough second-in-command, even threatening to shoot Reiben once he tries to abandon the squad.
55	* UndyingLoyalty: To Miller. For one thing, he'll get into a standoff with Reiben when the loudmouth won't listen to Miller's orders.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Private First Class Richard Reiben]]
59	->Played by Creator/EdwardBurns
60	[[quoteright:269:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ceb60130d24953535291bf83a06c430f.jpg]]
61	[[caption-width-right:269:''"My ma, she would've come home, shook me awake, chatted me up 'til dawn. I swear that woman was never too tired to talk."'']]
62
63	A big mouthed and opinionated soldier from Brookyln, Reiben seems quite close to his friends and openly calls out Captain Miller's orders, particularly when Wade dies and Miller allows Steamboat Willie to leave unharmed, threatening to go [=AWOL=].
64	----
65	* AlliterativeName: '''R'''ichard '''R'''eiben.
66	* AllMenArePerverts: He tells a story about selling to the well-endowed wife of his apartment's superintendent a bra two sizes too small, only to see her trying it.
67	* ArmorPiercingResponse: Ryan argues with Miller about being sent home and abandoning the other paratroopers. What Reiben says while he tries to defend his position stops Ryan ''cold,'' as for him it is a WhamLine.
68	-->'''Reiben:''' '''Hey asshole,''' two of our guys already died trying to find you, alright?
69	* TheBigGuy: One of the tougher members of the squad and carries the heaviest weapon: a [=BAR=] (Browning Automatic Rifle), which is basically a light machine gun.
70	* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: [[spoiler:Subverted. He's the only one from Miller's company who survives the war.]]
71	* BornLucky: He says this about himself at the beginning of the final battle in Ramelle. He is absolutely right, as over the course of the entire film he does not sustain a single injury of any degree, and survives every moment of combat he takes part in.
72	* BrooklynRage: He is HotBlooded and even has "Brooklyn NY" on the back of his jacket.
73	* DeadpanSnarker: He frequently snarks on what annoys him.
74	* EverybodysDeadDave: [[spoiler:By the end, he's the only original squad member left.]]
75	* HeroicBSOD: Has one after [[spoiler:Miller's death. His entire squad has been wiped out and only he, Ryan, and Upham have survived the battle.]]
76	* JerkassHasAPoint:
77	** Reiben is correct when he points out that he and everyone else on the squad going on a high-risk mission to find Private Ryan also has a mother. This gives everyone else second thoughts about going on the mission, though Miller dismisses it as griping.
78	** After Cpt. Miller decides to send Steamboat Willie away to surrender to the next Allied patrol he comes across, Reiben points out that there's just as much chance he'll run into the German army and they'll just throw him back into rotation.[[spoiler:That's exactly what happens and it leads to Cpt. Miller's death]].
79	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Quite easily the most surly and temperamental member of Miller's BadassCrew, but [[spoiler: when all is said and done and he and Upham (who was a new arrival to their squad and whom he barely knows) are all that remains of their squad, he is visibly quite pained and is especially distraught over Captain Miller's death, even though he was (not too long before) quite seriously considering deserting because he no longer felt confident in Miller's leadership. He also takes Caparzo's letter to his dad, which had been passed from him after his death, to Wade, to Miller, intending to make sure it got to it's final destination.]]
80	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Comes close to pulling this off.
81	* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:Is the only member from Miller's original squad to survive.]]
82	* ToAbsentFriends: Reiben takes the deaths of his teammates very hard, threatening to go [=AWOL=] at one point.
83	* WhatTheHellHero: Lays into Miller after he orders the squad to take down a machine gun nest, [[spoiler:which results in Wade's death.]]
84	-->'''Horvath:''' You heard him, gear up. Your captain just gave you an order.
85	-->'''Reiben:''' Yeah, like the one he gave to take this machine gun. That was a real dozy, wasn't it, sarge?
86	-->'''Horvath:''' Soldier, you are way out of line!
87	-->'''Reiben''': Yes sir, that was one hell of a call coming to take this nest, but hell, we only lost one of our guys going for it. I swear, I hope mama Ryan's '''real fuckin' happy knowing that little Jimmy's life is just a little bit more important than two of our guys! But then again we haven't found him yet, have we?! Have we?!'''
88	* YouShallNotPass: Ends up having to defend the bridge by himself against the final wave of Waffen-SS trying to capture it, with everyone else either dead, mortally wounded, out of ammo, or having gone hysterical with panic. Subverted in [[spoiler:that he survives]].
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Private Daniel Jackson]]
92	->Played by Creator/BarryPepper
93	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2ba2353e80a02eafcbfb8295bffb4b68.jpg]]
94	[[caption-width-right:325:''"Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight."'']]
95
96	A religious ColdSniper and the best marksman in the team. At times, he seems to have BottomlessMagazines.
97	----
98	* AsTheGoodBookSays: His pre-shot murmurs are taken out of the Psalms.
99	* BadassBoast: Probably the most explicit example in the whole film.
100	-->'''Jackson''': It seems to me, sir, that God gave me a special gift, made me a fine instrument of warfare.\
101	'''Captain Miller''': Reiben, pay attention. Now this is how you gripe. Continue Jackson.\
102	'''Jackson''': Well, what I mean by that is, sir, is if you put me and this here sniper rifle anywhere up to and including one mile of Adolf Hitler with a clear line sight, sir: pack your bags, fellas, war's over. Amen.
103	* BottomlessMagazines: Seemingly at times, although this is minor since the gun he uses in the final battle has a limited number of rounds.
104	* ColdSniper: Only when on duty, Jackson is coldly emotionless and murmurs Bible verses to himself. He is friendly when in casual talk with his friends.
105	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Blown to pieces by an 75mm shell from a Marder III. There's a shot of Jackson's skull caving in as the shell hits.]]
106	* FriendlySniper: Mostly. Put him in a battle, though, and [[ColdSniper he changes]]...
107	* InstantDeathBullet: Everyone who Jackson shoots dies instantly, though many of them are headshots. [[spoiler:Jackson's also on the receiving end of this, though that's because he was hit with a shell meant to destroy other tanks and buildings.]]
108	* OhCrap: [[spoiler:Gets carried away shooting German infantrymen from his clock tower perch, and since he spends so much time looking through his scope's limited field of view, he doesn't realize that a Marder III has spotted him until it's too late to do anything except yell a futile warning to his comrade a second before they're both killed.]]
109	* RealMenLoveJesus: He's constantly talking about his faith, and is presented as one of the more efficient soldiers on the squad.
110	* ReligiousBruiser: Typically says passages from Psalms before taking shots.
111	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Jackson is one of the more distinctive members of TheSquad, given his skills as a ColdSniper and his knack for quoting Bible passages. He winds up being the first of the squad to die in the FinalBattle, and his death means that Miller's ability to adequately respond to threats is greatly reduced since he no longer has a vantage point.]]
112	* ScopeSnipe: Jackson scores a bullseye on a German sniper by shooting through the other sniper's scope, blowing out his eye and killing him.
113	* TheScourgeOfGod: Considers himself this, but every man he kills is in the name of good.
114	* ShoutOut: Possibly a subtle one to real life Vietnam War sniper Carlos Hathcock. In some scenes, Jackson can be seen with a feather stuck in the straps on the back of his helmet. Hathcock was noted for wearing a white feather in his hat on all but one of his sniper missions, and is perhaps the only person to actually pull off a ScopeSnipe in combat.
115	* SituationalHandSwitch: Jackson is notably left handed and uses a right handed bolt action rifle, resulting in his using an awkward motion to cycle the bolt.
116	* SouthernFriedPrivate: Southern, Bible-quoting killing machine, though he does not come off as any less refined than the other soldiers and is perhaps the most respectful. Reiben does get in a dig at him when Jackson thinks he's found Ryan's dogtag; Reiben points out the spelling is R-I-E-N-N, which is pronounced "ree-in".
117	* TankGoodness: [[spoiler:Jackson is killed by a tank firing on his hiding place in a church tower.]]
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Private Stanley Mellish]]
121	->Played by Creator/AdamGoldberg
122	[[quoteright:190:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d5d6e7914e3fab6b93c49e85c1786133.jpg]]
123	[[caption-width-right:190:''"Your father was circumcised by my rabbi, you prick!"'']]
124
125	A Jewish soldier who is good friend with Caparzo. He is nicknamed "Fish" by his friends.
126	----
127	* AintTooProudToBeg: "Let's stop, let's stop! Listen to me! Listen to me! Stop, stop! No, no, d-don't! Stop, sto-". [[spoiler:As a German soldier is pushing Mellish's own bayonet down towards his chest, and Mellish realizes he doesn't have the strength to fight him off. This frantic pleading turns out to be his last words.]]
128	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Of all the squad members who die during the last battle, poor Mellish probably gets it worst...]]
129	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Pulls his rifle bayonet during a fight with a German. The German overpowers him and impales him with it.]]
130	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:...being stabbed down to the handle with a knife.]]
131	* KnifeFight: Gets into a tense one with [[spoiler:a German. It doesn't end well.]]
132	* ManBitesMan: In his KnifeFight in the climax, both on the receiving and giving end of this.
133	* NiceJewishBoy: Who makes sure to flaunt his Judaism to the Nazis every now and then.
134	* OralFixation: Chews gum.
135	* ThoseTwoGuys: Mellish and Caparzo.
136	* WhosLaughingNow: A somewhat downplayed and heroic example. After seeing numerous German prisoners walk by, Mellish cannot help but show his Star of David to the prisoners and rubs it in their faces that he is Jewish, in German no less.
137	-->'''Mellish''': Juden! Juden! I'm Juden, right? [[ForTheLulz Juuuuuuuuudeeeeeeen!]]
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Private First Class Adrian Caparzo]]
141	->Played by Creator/VinDiesel
142	[[quoteright:241:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0653e9cf7d5680aee74e146731b56502.jpg]]
143	[[caption-width-right:241:''"You gotta pay attention to detail, I know exactly where he's from and I know exactly what he did 'cuz I pay attention to detail."'']]
144
145	A soldier in Captain Miller's group. He is killed by a sniper and dies a slow death, leaving a letter to his father in the hands of his friends.
146	----
147	* BadassAndChildDuo: Averted since the badass [[spoiler:is shot and dies.]]
148	* TheBigGuy: Physically, he's the largest of the soldiers sent to find Private Ryan.
149	* BloodStainedLetter: Caparzo tries to give Mellish a letter to his father [[spoiler:after he's shot, but he wants it recopied so his family won't see the bloodstains on the original.]]
150	* BruiserWithASoftCenter: [[FriendToAllChildren Seeing a girl in a destroyed home]] ("she reminds me of my niece!") makes him try to get her out of that hellhole.
151	* GenreBlind: [[spoiler:And it costs him dearly]].
152	%%* TheHeart
153	* InstantDeathBullet: Painfully averted.
154	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Miller even says "We're not here to do the decent thing, we're here to follow [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] orders!" right before Caparzo's attempt of a good deed [[spoiler:leads him to be shot by a sniper.]]
155	* RealMenLoveJesus: Subtle, but he gives his crucifix to a little girl to calm her from her crying.
156	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: The first of the squad to die.]]
157	* TemptingFate: Ironically his Image quote. [[spoiler:He didn't pay attention to details.]]
158	* ThoseTwoGuys: Carparzo and Mellish.
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Tech 4th Grade Irwin Wade]]
162	->Played by Creator/GiovanniRibisi
163	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e49f19d60dabc3793c33d4440906831d.jpg]]
164	[[caption-width-right:300:''"...the trick to falling asleep is trying to stay awake."'']]
165
166	TheMedic of the team. Wade has a hard time saving the lives of fellow soldiers, but is willing to help anybody out, even wounded Nazis.
167	----
168	* BulletproofHumanShield: Forced to use a dead soldier's body as a shield for another patient.
169	* ClusterFBomb: Given with good reason. After Wade and other medics seemingly stop a fellow soldier from bleeding to death, a bullet puts a hole through their patient's helmet. [[RageBreakingPoint This ticks Wade right off.]]
170	-->'''Wade''': FUCK! GIVE US A FUCKING CHANCE, YOU FUCKING SONS OF BITCHES! FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!
171	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Wade is fatally wounded when the squad attack a Nazi guard house, and asks his friends to give him an overdose of morphine, which they do.]]
172	* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:After realizing just how badly he'd been shot. But then "Oh God, I can feel my liver!" would have that effect on most people.]]
173	* TheMedic: Assigned as this for the squad.
174	* MercyKill: [[spoiler:He was shot repeatedly, so he asks for an extra dose of morphine before expiring for real.]]
175	* NervesOfSteel: Was completely calm and deadpan doing surgery on Omaha Beach... up until the Germans shoot a patient that it looked like he was going to be able to save. [[RageBreakingPoint Then he just snaps]].
176	* OhCrap: Gets a particularly horrific one after realizing [[spoiler:how bad his wound is.]]
177	-->[[spoiler:Oh God, I can feel my liver!]]
178	* ParentalIssues: Had some as a kid, due to having two working parents he spent relatively little time with.
179	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: While he's not the first to die, Wade's death causes the tone of the film to become darker still, and several members of the squad to snap and come very close to murdering their German prisoner. As one of the younger and more friendly members of the squad (not to mention his status as a medic who spends his time helping people), his death feels especially bitter and senseless. Made worse by the fact he followed orders to the letter, unlike Caparzo.]]
180	* ShootTheMedicFirst: [[spoiler:Horribly {{Exploited}}.]]
181	* TheSmartGuy: Shares the role with Upham, particularly in deleted scenes and the novelization.
182	* TwoFirstNames: Irwin and Wade are both very common American first names.
183	* WhatTheHellHero: Angrily gives one of these to the squad as they're joking around sifting through dog tags in the hope of finding Ryan's, pointing out the fact numerous U.S. soldiers passing by are seeing their indifferent manner to it.
184	* YouAreAlreadyDead: [[spoiler: Understands he's this trope as soon as he realizes that he's been shot in the liver.]]
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Tech 5th Grade Timothy E. Upham]]
188	->Played by Creator/JeremyDavies
189	[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a3f132d92975291d9ef9ee2ab15842cf.jpg]]
190	[[caption-width-right:245:''"I looked up "fubar" in the German dictionary and there's no fubar in here."'']]
191
192	A translator who speaks French and German, Upham is brought into the squad after Captain Miller's translator was killed.
193	----
194	* CunningLinguist: The only one who can surpass the LanguageBarrier.
195	* DeathGlare: Develops one when witnessing [[spoiler: Steamboat Willie fatally shoot Captain Miller.]]
196	* {{Deconstruction}}: Of why it’s a liability to have a ‘normal’ person in the squad who’s not comfortable with killing if he has to, and who tries to apply typical ethical standards to a situation where a large number of people happen to want you dead. Upham is a relatable and endearing character, but he spends the majority of the film being TheLoad and [[spoiler: refusing to face his own fear results in his friend dying horrifically.]]
197	* DeskJockey: Before Miller brings him into his squad. He even tries to bring his typewriter!
198	* DirtyCoward: Justified, as his lack of combat experience makes him avoid fights for a good portion of the movie. His cowardice stops him from [[spoiler: saving Mellish when he clearly had a chance to.]] Even the German who finds him sobbing on the staircase [[EveryoneHasStandards clearly thinks he's pathetic]] [[NotWorthKilling and just leaves him there.]]
199	* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:When his fear prevents him from rescuing Mellish.]]
200	* JadeColoredGlasses: Upham initially supported Miller's decision to release "Steamboat Willie" rather than execute him. Later, [[spoiler:Upham kills "Steamboat Willie" to avenge Captain Miller]].
201	* TheLoad: Upham tries, but he’s green as grass and it shows.
202	%%* ManlyTears
203	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Gets some of this treatment from Miller's squad, although he slowly begins earning more acceptance toward the end of the film.
204	* NaiveNewcomer: To the point he even averts the firefights prior to the Ramelle battle.
205	* NewMeat: While not fresh out of boot camp, he is definitely new to combat and field experience, and concerned with the ethics and morality of the group's actions in wartime. This earns him the ire of much of the squad, in particular Mellish.
206	* NotWorthKilling: The German soldier who kills Mellish thinks so little of Upham when he finds the latter cowering on the stairs that he just walks past him.
207	* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler: He coldly shoots an unarmed prisoner dead, which is a crime. However, said prisoner was [[DirtyCoward Steamboat Willie]], so naturally your sympathies are entirely with Upham and can't really blame him for doing it.]]
208	* SinkTheLifeboats: Subverted early in the movie, when they capture Steamboat Willie. He and Captain Miller are the only ones who don't want to murder him. [[spoiler: later played straight near the end of the movie, when Upham sees Steamboat Willie try to surrender and guns down the unarmed POW in cold blood. While the movie (arguably) treats this as a good thing, in real life it would make Upham a war criminal]]. The film even addresses this, as Upham [[spoiler: lets the other German soldiers he had captured go, seeing as how they just watched him kill an unarmed prisoner in cold-blood. (Not that the guy didn't deserve it and then some.)]]
209	* SixthRanger: Originally from the 29th Infantry Division, recruited into the squad by Miller because the squad's translator was killed on Omaha Beach.
210	* TheSmartGuy: Shares the role with Wade.
211	* SoldiersAtTheRear: Before being forced to join Miller's squad, he worked as a translator and cartographer, ''not'' as a fighting soldier.
212	[[/folder]]
213
214	[[folder:Private First Class James Francis Ryan]]
215	[[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_lrg_012.png]]
216	[[caption-width-right:247:''"You can tell her [Private Ryan's mother] that when you found me, I was with the only brothers I had left. And that there was no way I was deserting them. I think she'd understand that."'']]
217	->Played by: Creator/MattDamon
218	->Dubbed by: Creator/DamienBoisseau (European French)
219
220	The Private Ryan in question which Captain Miller's squad go to find. After three of his brothers died, Ryan is demanded to be found and brought home to his grieving mother. The squad find him, but Ryan refuses to leave his duty.
221	----
222	* DeathNotification: Ryan's mother receives all three death letters of her dead son's on the same day.
223	* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler:You're led to believe that the old man at the grave at the start of the film is Miller. It's not. Miller died in the final battle. The old man is Ryan.]]
224	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint:
225	-->'''Miller:''' Your brothers are dead.\
226	'''Ryan:''' ''[a few moments pass]'' ...which ones?\
227	'''Miller:''' ...all of them.
228	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Miller's last words are "Earn this" on Ryan's ear. And given he knows how many people died for his safety, he does his best to do this after returning home.]]
229	* HeroicBSOD: During the final battle, he curls up into a ball at the end and freaks out screaming as the bullets whiz by him. Largely understandable given the battle's absolutely ''brutal'' combat, his complete lack of combat options due to being out of ammo, and the fact that[[spoiler: it's just him, Reiben, Miller, and Upham left and they're being rapidly overrun.]]
230	* IChooseToStay: Refused to be rescued so he can continue fighting along with his squad.
231	* ImprovisedWeapon: He has the idea to use mortar rounds as grenades.
232	* LastOfHisKind: Smaller focus than other uses of this trope, as he's the only survivor of four brothers, but some of the associated characteristics are there.
233	* SecondaryCharacterTitle: As the tagline goes, "The mission is a man". Thus he only appears once Miller's squad stumbles upon him.
234	* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler: Narrowly averted. Of the paratroopers stationed at Ramelle, only Ryan and Rice surive the battle.]]
235	* SpoilerOpening: [[spoiler: The old man at the beginning of the film is wearing a pin for the 101st Airborne. Ryan is the only main cast member who is a member of the 101st. Miller and his squad are from the 2nd Battalion, US Army Rangers and Upham is from the 29th Infantry Division.]]
236	* TwoFirstNames: Like Irwin Wade, James and Ryan (and his middle name Francis) are common first names in America.
237	[[/folder]]
238
239	[[folder:Steamboat Willie]]
240	[[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1788014242_small.jpg]]
241	[[caption-width-right:318:''"Hey. Fuck Hitler."'']]
242	->'''Played by:''' Creator/JoergStadler
243
244	A German soldier who is taken prisoner by Captain Miller's squad after Wade is killed. He is eventually allowed to walk free by Miller. Unfortunately, he reappears with disastrous consequences.
245	----
246	* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Whether or not he is the German who shot Wade, which increases the tension of whether or not Miller's crew is being unlawful by executing a surrendering soldier. A lot less ambiguous when he shoots Miller.]]
247	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Upham straight up executes him in cold blood. He ''really'' had it coming for [[HeroKiller killing Miller]], so no tears will be shed on him.]]
248	* BaldOfEvil: Though German soldiers at the time had a "high and tight" crew cut instead of no hair.
249	* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:He comes back to find Miller's squad again. Doesn't go well for the squad or himself.]]
250	* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:His death came at the hands of Upham, a soldier who asked Miller to let him go before.]]
251	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: ''Literally'', in fact. As he continues to bargain for his life and as the Americans pity him more and more, Willie just keeps on digging a grave for [[spoiler:Wade]].
252	* DirtyCoward: He shamefully grovels when the Americans have him prisoner, [[spoiler:but isn't so forthcoming of mercy when the situation is reversed. He attempts to do this again when at the mercy of Upham, only [[AssholeVictim he is not successful this time]].]]
253	* HateSink: It's made ''very'' obvious very quickly that we aren't supposed to like this guy. Admit it, you didn't feel so sad about him [[spoiler: getting shot dead by Upham.]]
254	* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Responsible for the death of Miller and [[AmbiguousSituation maybe]] Wade.]]
255	* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Gunning down Miller at Ramelle, after the captain let him go after Wade was killed.]]
256	* ManipulativeBastard: Plays on Upham's and Miller's sympathies to worm his way out of Miller's squad killing him. [[spoiler:He tries this again with Upham at the end, only this time it doesn't work and Upham gives him his long awaited dues.]]
257	* NoNameGiven: His credited screen name comes from one of the references to American culture he does to try to save his life ("''WesternAnimation/SteamboatWillie'', choo-choo!").
258	* PunchClockVillain: He's initially set up as this, just a Wehrmacht soldier who shot at TheSquad because it's his job, much like the American soldiers. It's later {{Subverted}} [[spoiler: when he kills Captain Miller in cold blood, even though he owes him his life.]]
259	* ThoseWackyNazis: The only Nazi PlayedForLaughs if only because of how ''thoroughly'' pathetic he is.
260	* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: [[spoiler: He gets shot without hesitation by Upham, one of the two people who gave mercy to him as revenge for shooting Miller the other one who gave mercy in cold blood.]]
261	* UngratefulBastard: He rejoins the Nazis after the troop spares his life. However, he wouldn't have had a choice if found by a German unit. Saying he promised to no longer fight against the Allies would likely get him shot. He still qualifies on account of his ferocity in combat to his erstwhile captors, though so this counts.
262	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: An evil example, he begs Captain Miller for his life, and Miller spares him. [[spoiler:Later, he shoots an unarmed Captain Miller fatally in the chest with [[KickTheDog absolutely zero hesistation.]]]]
263	* WickedCultured: Is very fluent in English and knowledgeable about American popculture for a common German grunt.
264	[[/folder]]
265
266	[[folder: The Paratroopers]]
267	-> Played By: Creator/MaxMartini (Corporal Henderson), Creator/DylanBruno (Private Toynbee)
268
269	A group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne defending the town of Ramelle, including Private James Francis Ryan. This group consists of:
270	* Corporal Henderson
271	* Private James Francis Ryan
272	* Private Parker
273	* Private Toynbe
274	* Private Rice
275	* Private Trask
276	* Private Lyle
277	* Private Weller
278	* Private Fallon
279	* Private Garrity
280	* Private Wilson
281	* A couple unnamed troopers
282	----
283	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Several paratroopers are blasted to pieces by a German 20mm team. Those who were shot by the 20mm but not killed were forced to crawl until taken out by other German soldiers.
284	** Henderson is shot in the throat by a German soldier, with whom Mellish engages in a brutal struggle, leaving Henderson to roll around the floor while choking on his own blood for a good few minutes, until eventually he bleeds out.
285	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Garrity is killed when the sticky bomb he tries to use on one of the tanks goes off, blasting him to pieces.
286	* ImpromptuTracheotomy: Corporal Henderson takes a gunshot to the neck, and after some lengthy choking, eventually bleeds to death just before the death of Private Mellish.
287	* InTheBack: Private Wilson is shot in the back by Steamboat Willie, just before Willie kills [[spoiler: Miller]].
288	* LastStand: Trask fails to outrun the Germans and decides to fight, killing a few with his helmet before another German soldier apparently beats him to death.
289	* MolotovCocktail: Weller and Wilson use these on one of the Marder tank destroyers.
290	* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: Private Lyle shoots the last remaining German in the first Tiger tank in the face with the muzzle about six inches away.
291	* OffWithHisHead: One trooper is decapitated by a 20mm round.
292	* PosthumousCharacter: Captain Jennings.
293	* RedshirtArmy: Only Ryan gets a first name and almost all of them are killed at Ramelle.
294	* SoleSurvivor: Excluding Ryan, Rice is the only paratrooper to make it to the safety of the bridge and thus survive the battle.
295	** Private Fallon is shown being wounded in battle, but it is unknown if he survived.
296	* StickyBomb: Rice and Wilson use these on the first Tiger tank, disabling it.
297	* StuffBlowingUp: Two cases; Toynbe starts off the battle of Ramelle with a pair of land mines and the aforementioned [[StickyBomb Sticky bombs.]]
298	* TankGoodness: Private Parker is blown up in Ramelle's bell tower alongside Private Jackson.
299	* YouAreInCommandNow: Corporal Henderson took command after Captain Jennings was killed when the town was bombed some time ago.
300	----
301	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / SavingPrivateRyan