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The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
In 1942, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is a U.S. Army absconder living peacefully with the locals of a small South Pacific island. Discovered by his commanding officer, Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn), Witt is forced to resume his active duty training for the Battle of Guadalcanal. As Witt and his unit land on the island, and the American troops mount an assault on entrenched Japanese positions, the story explores their various fates and attitudes towards life-or-death situations.
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Rating: R
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Genre: War, History, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Terrence Malick
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Producer: John Roberdeau, Robert Michael Geisler
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Writer: James Jones, Terrence Malick
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $36.4M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: 20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
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Production Co: Fox 2000 Pictures, Phoenix Pictures
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Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for The Thin Red Line
Critic Reviews for The Thin Red Line
Audience Reviews for The Thin Red Line
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In contrast to Saving Private Ryan created during the same year, Malick takes us to WWII as an observer and does not throw us in the middle of battle. Using distraction techniques, it allows the viewer to see humanity in chaos from a distance.
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"The Thin Red Line" is very long, yes, but that's not even one of the film's biggest problems. No, what really harms it in the long run is the fact that we never quite develop a relationship with any of the characters. Instead, we just hover from one to another without ever really knowing anything about them. John Toll's cinematography is spellbinding and unforgettable and Terrence Malick directs some very daring battle sequences, but it's the film's lack of depth that ends up hurting it. That's not saying that "The Thin Red Line" is boring. Quite the contrary, actually. It's tense, invigorating stuff that had me pretty involved. But in the end, it just isn't as memorable as it should be.
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somehow this surrealistic rumination on nature (both phyical and psychological)manages to become the most real of war films. All of the grass level filming, where you can't really see the enemy... claustrophic and metaphoric at the same time. This is the zen of war - the film really puts you right there, letting you see all the casualties and conflicts and letting you decide which path you would take if you were "enlisted". Fine performances abound, and I found Nick Nolte's Colonel Tall to be an awesome portrayal. 14 years have passed with this film, and I found it fun to see all the actors who just "show up" in cameo roles, like John Travolta and George Clooney. My only real complaints about this film have to do with pacing and length. At 3 hours, there certainly was ample opportunity for some judicious editing (many a scene, especially the flashbacks and more surreal material, could have been shortened) - which would have given a tighter narrative; but even that wouldn't have covered the big "breather" that the film takes about 3/4 of the way through. After the hill is taken and Charly Co returns to base camp, the film loses all momentum dealing with the aftermath of the campaign, which makes the then repositioning of the company up river under new and incompetent command, seem a superflous tag - a feeling compounded by the sacrifice made by the film's narrator and "soul". Better if the film would have left out this portion of the film entirely and cut to the company leaving Guadacanal on the LCV. Yet, in spite of these obvious missteps, the film is compelling, and its ruminations on the origin of evil and mankind's loss of harmony make this film a must see.
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Philosophical auteur Terrence Malick might not be the kind of filmmaker you'd expect to tackle a war movie, but once you've seen The Thin Red Line, you won't be able to imagine it in anyone else's hands. The wandering narrative, stunning photography, and outstanding cast make this an unforgettable cinematic journey. A one-of-a-kind genre film from a one-of-a-kind artist
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