‘The best war movie’ of all time is on TV tonight

It's an absolute classic.

Our movie pick for tonight (Sunday June 1) is Saving Private Ryan.

Set in 1944 France during World War II, the blockbuster follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), on their mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him home safely after his three brothers are killed in action.

Renowned for its powerful story and hard-hitting combat scenes, particularly its opening Omaha Beach sequence (which was actually shot in Ireland), Saving Private Ryan won several Oscars, including Best Director for Spielberg.

It was even named the greatest war film of all time, according to a poll.

Over 48,000 Ranker voters came together in an effort to rank the best war movies ever, out of which legendary director Steven Spielberg’s 1998 classic came out on top.

Polling right behind the 1998 movie – which recently had its 25th anniversary – on Ranker’s list is two acclaimed Vietnam-set films – Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket and Oliver Stone’s Platoon.

Also featuring amongst the top 10 is another Spielberg Oscar-winner, Schindler’s List, as well as more modern classics like Black Hawk Down, Fury and Hacksaw Ridge.

For Ranker’s full list of the top 200 best war movies of all time, visit their website here.

To see a list of the top 10, scroll below:

1. Saving Private Ryan
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Platoon
4. Black Hawk Down
5. We Were Soldiers
6. Hacksaw Ridge
7. Fury
8. Schindler’s List
9. American Sniper
10. Enemy at the Gates

Saving Private Ryan will air on BBC One at 10:30 pm tonight.