Saving Private Ryan was an unexpected masterstroke from Steven Spielberg — a powerful, brutal film that didn't flinch in depicting the violence in World War II, managing to be an anti-war film that was also pro-war. Even though it contained a dose of Spielberg's traditional sentimentality, it remained a complex, layered film marred by only one thing — John Williams' unexpectedly ineffective and inappropriate score. True, Williams had less room in the film than usual — many scenes, particularly the battle sequences, were designed to play without music — but when he did have the opportunity to underscore the action, he overplayed his cards, which had the effect of adding sentiment where it was unnecessary.