MovieChat Forums > Saving Private Ryan (1998) Discussion > How did Mellish lose that fight?

How did Mellish lose that fight?

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
24 replies | jump to latest

He had the upper hand and then just panicked and let the German soldier take his knife, roll him over and just stab him slowly.

Either Mellish had stamina problems, the Waffen SS guy was deceptively strong, or he really panicked and let the fear take over. Probably a combination of all three.

A lot of discussion has been conducted regarding that scene and Upham not helping Mellish. What’s sad is that Upham wouldn’t even have had to do anything but just show up...make his presence known. The German would have put his arms up thinking he was shit out of luck and Mellish would have killed him.

Upham couldn’t even get up the stairs. Even the German soldier saw how little threat he posed and let him live.

The SS soldier was probably so Stressed/traumatized from what he just had to do to survive that he couldn’t care less about killing Upham.

[–] NGMI (1184) 3 years ago

SS soldier? It was wehrmacht. This wasnt a film about the 6 gorillion.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

No the guy who killed Mellish was Waffen SS, you’re confusing him with Steamboat Willie who was Wehrmacht.

[–] imatosser182 (339) 3 years ago

Yeah, that scene was infuriating

[–] degray9 (1126) 3 years ago

The other guy was simply bigger and stronger, but Mellish ironically doomed himself by pulling out the knife in the first place

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Idk about bigger, they looked about the same size, but stronger may have been the case.

Well what was he supposed to do? Keep biting him? The knife was meant to deliver the kill. What he shouldn’t have allowed was to have his knife taken from him and/or allow his free arm to be pinned down.

[–] degray9 (1126) 3 years ago

Mellish was a weaselly little fellow, the SS guy seemed buffer and more bear-like, he easily overpowered him when the other guy was on top of him, it was a lost cause anyway.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Upham was small and Weasely. Mellish was rather average.

I think Reiben, Jackson, Capparzo or Ryan would have won that hand to hand fight. Possibly Sgt. Horvath too. Maybe Mellish was at the tail end of the squad in terms of strength. With Wade and Upham ranking below him.

[–] Ripkens25 (2015) 3 years ago

That was such a tough scene to watch. And it seemed so real, as to how someone would react when being slowly overpowered in a fight to the death. When he starts saying: "Wait a minute, wait a minute...", essentially trying to say "It doesn't need to end with one of us dying", it was so desperate......and rang so true. Man, that was such an awful death.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

It was sheer desperation. Had the tables been turned and the German begging for mercy...Mellish wouldn’t have hesitated.

At that point neither one is thinking about ideology...it’s just sheer survival.

You could tell that the German soldier was pretty shook up by the whole thing too as he kept sliding the knife in as Mellish was well past dead.

That and it totally drained him to the point where he couldn’t be bothered with Upham.

[–] whynotwriteme (7720) 3 years ago

He just left Upham out of scorn and disgust at his obvious cowardice and uselessness.

[–] NitroHangover (1142) 3 years ago

Agreed. He came down the stairs and saw a whimpering little coward, who had obviously been there long enough to allow Mellish to be killed by not acting to help him, slumped up against the wall and signaling his submissiveness, and he walked past him in pity and disgust.

[–] RichardBlaine (303) 3 years ago

Yes, Ripkens25, the hardest part of the film to watch by far. There were so many more gruesome scenes, but that one just seemed so damn real. It was so...intimate. Such an effective scene. It's hard to even think about.

[–] Drooch (5333) 3 years ago

Jackson would have put up a good fight but he was too weedy for that beefy Kraut.

Miller was too flabby and old, in fact they all would have lost except maybe Sgt Horvath, Capparzo and possibly Reiben on a good day.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Reiben and definitely Caparzo. Maybe the gruff Sarge. Jackson would be a toss up.

[–] Rolltide (964) 3 years ago

Mellish is Jewish so he has to be a victim.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Good One lol

[–] whynotwriteme (7720) 3 years ago

The German looked like a tough, skilled fighter, bigger and stronger than Mellish, who came across as the stereotypical squad wiseass and loudmouth. I don't think the German left Upham alone out of stress or trauma, but just because he recognized Upham as a sniveling lump of spineless jelly who was no threat.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

He looked like he had wiry strength.

[–] erlerzop (1) 3 years ago

Mellish eventually pulls out his knife in an attempt to kill the SS soldier, who proves too strong and overpowers him. While any other movie might have seen Mellish saved at the last moment by Upham, Saving Private Ryan instead shows the young soldier paralyzed with fear, unable to help Mellish. https://techzpod.com/ https://get-mobdrovip.com

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21457) 3 years ago

There are many things to consider but here is a big question. How many times do you think an average US rifleman in the WWII European theater actually engaged in hand to hand combat? A good guess might be never.

[–] duckofprey (1557) 3 years ago

In real life. Yeah, most never. In training…maybe?

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21457) 3 years ago

Exactly. So if we are examining this “real life” we can pretty much assume Mellish would be in total panic, blood pressure sky rocketing, tunnel vision, not thinking clearly and no feeling in his extremities. Had he survived he probably would not have remembered much.

What happened in the film might just be pretty realistic.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Given the nazis were notorious for giving out the 1940's version of meth to their soldiers, there was a high probability that the german was hopped up, so if Mellish was fighting a normal german it was one thing but if he was fighting some drugged up german it was going to be different. Remember when some modern day cop gets into a fight with someone hopped up on meth it can be as if they are fighting a superhuman. So not that difficult to see this fight ending with Mellish dead.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Good point