1998's Saving Private Ryan has a slew of moments where questions are answered and plot pieces finally come back around, but one common point of confusion is whether or not the film's two more prominently featured German soldiers are the same character. The star-studded World War II drama is packed with phenomenal writing and acting, graphic and raw portrayals of battlefield violence, and an honest look at the moral ambiguity that often comes with combat. It fleshes out the psychological toll that prolonged stress of that nature can do to any person, and humanizes both American and German troops alike.
One of these moments takes place after Wade the medic (Giovanni Ribisi) dies, when the men in the squad with the titular task of Saving Private Ryan's infamously harrowing knife scene where the man kills Wellish (Adam Goldberg), as he's leaving the building, he spares Upham, seemingly taking pity on him because he's crying and crumpled in shock and fear on the stairs.
Many fans believe that all of these scenes feature the same soldier. It's easy to see why this is such a common misconception, but it's ultimately incorrect. It's true, viewers see very little of the German army during the course of the film, aside from a number of generically presented soldiers in combat sequences. And both of these particular men have very similar facial features, fair skin tones, and seemingly dark eyes. They also have dark hair, which has been shaved quite short, and are wearing German uniforms. On top of that, both of the soldiers interact with Upham throughout Saving Private Ryan, and two out of the three interactions involve showing mercy. But, if you closely analyze some of their less glaring characteristics, as well as their behavior, it becomes clear that these men aren't the same character.
In the morose scene where Upham later kills "Steamboat Willie," the man clearly recognizes him. In fact, before shouting his name, the soldier's eyes light up, as he thinks he might once again be spared. But when Upham comes in with the German on the stairs, the man doesn't seem to recognize him at all; in fact, he doesn't say anything. He's clearly mulling over his options and decides to spare the terrified GI. But it's out of sympathy and deducing that he's not an actual threat, rather than a sense of pseudo-friendship or owing his life. In addition to those differences, which would otherwise make for notable Saving Private Ryan plot holes, there are visual inconsistencies as well. Steamboat Willie has a normal German army patch on his uniform, whereas the soldier on the stairs sports a Waffen-SS uniform, which was the military portion of the SS. This is distinctly different, as the Waffen-SS was not part of the main German forces (known as the Wermacht).
Also, when Steamboat Willie is released by the squad, he has fresh wounds on his face, most likely from the previous mini battle and being roughed up by the team. The Waffen-SS soldier doesn't have those same wounds, especially the one that would overlap his eyebrow. Lastly, it's impossible to argue with the fact the two men are even played by different actors (Steamboat Willie is played by Joerg Stadler, and the other was a brief and uncredited role). Still, it's easy to see why some people think these Saving Private Ryan characters are the same man, especially with how the film has a tendency to circle back around to answers later on.
