Review of The Thin Red Line (1998) by Jordan N — 29 Aug 2012

I avoided this movie for years because I thought it's description of "war film" was accurate. The Thin Red Line transcends the typical war film, and then goes ahead and transcends the typical film in general, no pun intended.

Malick employs his now signature motifs in full stride here: the ruminations on voice over, the pastoral imagery, the philosophical mediations, and the miraculous natural light hand held cinematography that gives the films an organic, untainted feel. The stellar cast is subservient to the narrative, and no individual element gets in the way or takes from the cohesive work the film accomplishes. Five second shots are as powerful as the truly profound overlaid voice over, and even a dead soldier of the opposing army gets a line as intimate, haunting and human as the leading roles.