(CNN) -- Some reviewers have called "Saving Private Ryan," Steven Spielberg's World War II film about D-Day and the search for a soldier, one of the greatest war movies. Military historian Antony Beevor begs to differ. Not only is it not the greatest war movie, it's not even the best cinematic depiction of D-Day, says Beevor, author of the newly published "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" (Viking). He admires the famed Omaha Beach opening -- "Probably the most realistic battle sequence ever filmed," he said -- but described the rest of "Saving Private Ryan" as "ghastly." "It's sort of a 'Dirty Dozen' cliche of the worst form," he said.
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Antony Beevor, author of new book on D-Day, not a fan of "Saving Private Ryan"
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Beevor admires the opening, but calls the rest "ghastly"
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Beevor's pick for best Hollywood D-Day work: "Band of Brothers"
Another project @placeholder had a hand in, "Band of Brothers."