The two movies Tom Hanks said delivered on all fronts
The Hollywood icon Tom Hanks once famously expressed his modesty by claiming that he’d only ever made four “pretty good” movies. Looking across the actor’s filmography, we can certainly see that he’s a touch hard on himself, considering we find the likes of Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story and Philadelphia on the list.
Hanks is well-known for his affable charm in the public eye, assuming something of a friendly uncle or father persona without offence, making him one of the true legends of American cinema. But that’s that precise character that makes him play down the quality of films.
“No one knows how a movie is made — though everyone thinks they do,” Hanks once told People. “I’ve made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think), and I’m still amazed at how films come together. From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image onscreen, the whole process is a miracle.”
Back in 2001, Hanks told Oprah Winfrey that he only ever wanted to take on roles that would “entertain, educate, and enlighten and enthral”, and it was at that point that he gave a clue as to what half of his “pretty good” movies are, admitting that two of his roles had at least enabled audiences to be transported into realities unlike their own.
“People want to discover specific things about a world unlike their own,” he said, “whether it’s how hard it is to go to the moon or how scary it is to be on Omaha Beach.” So, with that clue in mind, it’s clear to see that Hanks believes that his efforts in Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan were those that managed to deliver on all fronts of the cinematic expectation.
Ron Howard’s 1995 space docudrama Apollo 13 is the true pinnacle of space-faring cinema, telling of the legendary 1970 NASA mission that featured a life-threatening crisis. Alongside Hanks star Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton as a trio of astronauts at risk of death in a broken spacecraft, and the film is a genuine article of tension that details the bravery of the human spirit.
Hanks’ other mention is Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg’s excellent World War II epic that throws audiences into the brutal realities of D-Day. Hanks plays Captain Miller, the army leader tasked with finding a missing private, played by Matt Damon, with his group of soldiers. Check out the trailer below.
