The Thin Red Line

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One of the cinema's great disappearing acts came to a close with the release of The Thin Red Line in late 1998. Terrence Malick, the cryptic recluse who withdrew from Hollywood visibility after the release of his visually enthralling masterpiece Days of Heaven (1978), returned to the director's chair after a 20-year coffee break. Malick's comeback vehicle is a fascinating choice: a wide-ranging adaptation of a World War II novel (filmed once before, in 1964) by James Jones. The battle for Guadalcanal Island gives Malick an opportunity to explore nothing less than the nature of life, death, God, and courage. Let that be a warning to anyone expecting a conventional war flick; Malick proves himself quite capable of mounting an exciting action sequence, but he's just as likely to meander into pure philosophical noodling--or simply let the camera contemplate the first steps of a newly birthed tropical bird, the sinister skulk of a crocodile. This is not especially an actors' movie--some faces go by so quickly they barely register--but the standouts are bold: Nick Nolte as a career-minded colonel, Elias Koteas as a deeply spiritual captain who tries to protect his men, Ben Chaplin as a G.I. haunted by lyrical memories of his wife. The backbone of the film is the ongoing discussion between a wry sergeant (Sean Penn) and an ethereal, almost holy private (newcomer Jim Caviezel). The picture's sprawl may be a result of Malick's method of "finding" a film during shooting and editing, and in some ways The Thin Red Line seems vaguely, intriguingly incomplete. Yet it casts a spell like almost nothing else of its time, and Malick's visionary images are a challenge and a signpost to the rest of his filmmaking generation. --Robert Horton

Description

A powerful frontline cast - including Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson and George Clooney - explodes into action in this hauntingly realistic view of military and moral chaos in the Pacific during World War II.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best, but not the greatest.......2007-08-31

This film moved me when I first watched it. Now, however, I find my self fast forwarding through the more ambient parts. The actual story is timeless, but I find that the other scenes bore me over time.

If you've read the book, you might agree. If you've read Jone's entire trilogy, you'll notice much of the script is lifted from FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. Not all of the books themes, however, are represented in the film and MANY characters are combined or missing alltogether.

The music is perhaps Hans Zimmer's best. I dare to say it's the best match of music and images that I have ever seen.

It's high art, not a popcorn movie. Read the books first.

Turn on your brain--the movie's much better when you do.......2007-08-19

I am amazed by how many people don't like this because it's "too long," "doesn't have enough action," or (I love this one) "it's soooo lame." One of the many redeeming aspects of this film is how the movie does not force feed you. It doesn't barrage you with speeches, action, dramatic music, more action, action with dramatic music, and yet more hyperbolic action/music--doing all the thinking for you. If you have a short attention span, or are uncomfortable interpreting for yourself what you are watching, this movie is not for you. Go watch Saving Private Ryan, Patton, Guns of Navarone, anything but this. But if you want lucid cinematography, deep internal monologue, and spoken lines beyond "Let's get them Japs," and time to digest what you are watching, then get this movie.

It is the only war movie I would say is beautiful. There's no didactive hawk/dove preaching, chest thumping or flag waving, rather a complex portrayal of regular people, just like us, thrust into a hellish situation, and what goes on in their minds as they endure the everyday brutality of warfare.

Like a good poem that may only contain a couple dozen words, many lines and ideas in this movie demand you sit and think, to concentrate very very hard--to try to get to the marrow of the deeper meaning--something that takes lots of introspection and time.

For the people who were looking at their watches, or complaining it was too long, here's a hint: during the long sequences of silence or "inaction," there's a reason for it: something pithy has just ben served to you, or is about to be. If you still don't get it, go ahead and one-star this movie, and go get any of those other sugar-coated cookie cutter war movies that don't want you to do much thinking.

This is the best war movie I have seen.

GUADALCANAL.......2007-07-23

My uncle was at Guadalcanal as a very young Marine. He was no square. His account was very close to the tenor of this film. I am sorry for those who did not feel adequately entertained. His company were reduced from 100 to 5. The art of this film is the inference of violence vs the explicit incidence. Inference is a more powerful tool in explaining the terror of real violence. I think violence is entertaining mainly to those who have never experienced it.
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"War Turns Men Into Dogs"..............2007-07-14

...and this movie is a big, steaming pile of dog shtuff.

This movie had such potential. But it goes absolutely nowhere. A pitiful attempt at being profound, resulting only in bombast. The "finished work" is simply a swollen collage of beautifully filmed vignettes (complete with irrelevant and saccharine flashbacks) stitched together in a clumsy attempt to trick the viewer into believing that there is a point. There is none!

I can understand the concept and argument that The Thin Red Line was not intended to be a "WAR FILM". But it's not anything else either - NOTHING!! This DOG was so boring, so pointless, so morose, it inspired me to write my first ever film review in an attempt to spare others the disappointment of sitting through it!

The apologists for this celluloid sleeping pill use words like contemplative, poignant, philosophical, introspective, etc. The only thing I took away from this lugubrious piece of cinematic blathering, was utter contempt for the self-absorbed turds responsible for its production.

This film is a waste of time and clearly a product of the narcissistic Hollywood Boomer generation. Rather than honor our fathers and grandfathers who sacrificed so much to secure freedom and security for the generations to follow, it serves only to insult them.

Bought for husband, he loves it.......2007-07-12

I don't like movies about war and death but my husband does and he loves this movie and has watched it several times since I bought it.

Average customer rating:

One of the best, but not the greatest
Turn on your brain--the movie's much better when you do
GUADALCANAL
"War Turns Men Into Dogs".......
Bought for husband, he loves it

The Thin Red Line - DTS
Starring: Kirk Acevedo , Penelope Allen , Benjamin Green , Simon Billig , and Mark Boone Junior
Director: Terrence Malick
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005221N
Release Date: 2001-01-23