Beijing audiences get their chance to pass judgment on Steven Spielberg's latest blockbuster this month. "Saving Private Ryan" stays with the World War II period he tackled in "Schindler's List," but takes a completely different perspective on the conflict.

At Omaha Beach, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is ordered to take his squad behind enemy lines on a dangerous mission to find and retrieve one man: Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), the youngest of four brothers. Ryan is the last survivor, the other three having all been killed in action within days of one another. As the squad pushes deeper into enemy territory, Captain Miller's men find themselves questioning their orders. Why is one man worth risking eight? Why is the life of this private worth more than their own? What should they do?

"How do you find decency in the hell of warfare? Thatêwas the paradox that first attracted me to the project." Spielberg said.

"I've always been fascinated by World War II," said Hanks, "And I'm perpetually searching out books and other material that depict the war as a human experience as opposed to a tactical one. That was a very vivid thing that came through in this film. On the one hand, it is a grand adventure story, but it is also a very human story."

"Saving Private Ryan" has done boffo box office in America, and has been hotly tipped to sweep the next Oscars. Tom Hanks is favorite to win the Best Actor award for the third time.