Review of The Thin Red Line (1998) by Artemis D — 20 Sep 2012

There are very few films that one could compare to those by recluse American auteur Terrence Malick. With only a handful of films made in 40+ years, he has created a filmography that features some of the most philosophical, existential ideas ever put to film. His films can sometimes be difficult for those that are impatient as his films are much more slowly paced than the typical Hollywood film. They also feature extensive use of voiceover narration which delivers the majority of what the characters are feeling; dialogue is used sparingly, although this film probably has the most lines that are actually delivered by actors on-screen. His direction is subtle but utterly masterful and always, always has some of the most strikingly beautiful images one could ever imagine. There are very few films that look as beautiful as those made by Terrence Malick; one could say that perhaps The Thin Red Line contains his most beautiful images to date, although his earlier Days of Heaven, as well as his latest The Tree of Life, also have amazing imagery. The score composed by the great Hans Zimmer and the chanting by the Melanesian choirs are some of the most beautiful music ever put to film.

There is a huge ensemble of actors in the film, most of which aren't always recognizable but even two of the big name actors (John Travolta and George Clooney) are only on screen enough to be counted as cameos, despite the fact that Clooney's name is featured on the poster. Still, the few actors the film focuses on such as Sean Penn, James Caviezel, Elias Koteas and Nick Nolte all deliver excellent performances.

Prior to this The Thin Red Line, Terrence Malick had only made two feature films - Badlands & Days Of Heaven - and it took 20 years for the director to finally return to making films, and thank God he did with this amazing film. Many have complained about it being boring due to its slow pace and lack of real drama but I for one love everything about this film. It's a rarity that a filmmaker puts as much trust on his/her audience by not spoon feeding all information to them or having to compromise what he/she is trying to make. I honestly wish Malick would have kept the 5 hour version and not just the current near 3-hour version we have since there were many other big name actors involved in the production that were eventually left on the cutting floor.

The Thin Red Line is a movie that will forever be underrated film due to the fact that it's release was overshadowed by Steven Spielberg's own WWII film Saving Private Ryan released that same year. There is no reason to really compare the two as they are both extremely different kinds of war films with one focusing on the brotherhood of soldiers and the other focusing on some of the inner struggles of the individual soldiers and the natural surroundings featuring parrots, alligators and shoulder-high grass fields in the hills. While both pictures stand as two of the greatest war films ever made, The Thin Red Line is quite possibly the anti-war film to end all anti-war films. An poignant, elegant, poetic, and beautifully made piece of filmmaking that only Terrence Malick and his fantastic cast & crew could have ever achieved. 10/10.