Review of The Thin Red Line (1998) by Wes M — 27 Jul 2011

Wow, this was somethin else...

I'd say it's on-par with Saving Private Ryan as my favorite/best war movie, and these two films have barely anything in common, cept both WWII. It was also my 1st Terrence Malick, and I gotta say, I am instantly in love with this guy; desperately wanna see his other 4 films (most notably Tree Of Life, hopefully soon!) The thing about Malick that I noticed the most was his cinematography, and I'll note 2 things: 1, during a battle, if a soldier was running, many times the camera runs with them, usually right in front or behind them. Great choice, keeps the audience in the fray, and reminded me of Cuaron, cept Cuaron uses MUCH longer takes, which is more bad ass. 2, he shows us these breathtaking landscapes, scenery, and animals, and many of these things can be metaphors and imagery for what is taking place right before or after these shots. Cinematography that can really make you feel something, now that's powerful. Yet another cool thing bout this movie were the backstories, which were usually told through that character's voice-over narration ('nother little tidbit that I love!) Anyways, I've ranted enough on here. Go see this for 3 reasons: WWII story bout a battle that you prolly don't know; Malick's gift with a camera; and the stunning performance from Elias Koteas (yes, that guy who was Casey in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Turns out he can act, immensely.).