Review of The Thin Red Line (1998) by Nathan C — 02 Mar 2011

Welcome to the Thin Red Line. A war film that's love-it-or-leave-it, that's all it is. But which side do I take?

In this second paragraph, I usually write about the film's storyline. But, oddly, there isn't any story. Just basically a series of images and events, but isn't that what motion pictures are? You do see Army soldiers fighting in the Pacific on Guadalcanal Island during WWII though, and look into the lives of some of those soldiers.

There are many great qualities in this film that would assure its prestige. This has the tendency to ooze out "visual poetry", creating rich, vibrant, and even haunting images of the Pacific. The ensemble cast, with the majority being good actors, is an ideal one with unknowns and mainstream stars, newcomers and veterans alike. Many of the actors (Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte) did such a great job. None of its battle scenes can pack as much of a punch as the opening Normandy battle in "Saving Private Ryan", but all of them are gut-wrenching and terrific. Not only is this emotional, but also thought-provoking (this is an anti-war film, after all). Terence Malick must've had a brilliant vision to even come up with this film in the first place, and if it took him 20 years to do so, then that just goes to show the hard work put into it.

But for all the reasons that I could enjoy it, there are just as many reasons for me to hate it. The film feels rushed, disjointed, incomplete; and the production is unorganized, because some of the actors look lost and aloof. Well, that's because some of the actors in this "all-star" cast have their roles minimized (George Clooney, Woody Harrelson) or are miscast (John Travolta, with HIS GAY MUSTACHE not fitting his face or voice at all). Many scenes either go by too quickly, or just drag. A few scenes are hammy (Woody's death, for example: death by grenade prank) and don't mesh with the seriousness of it all. Also, I am baffled by its lack of a plot. That goes hand-in-hand with the issue of the actors and the filmmakers having no clear idea of what to do. And this movie fails to tell me what is going on, and the events that happen seem random. Given more time, this movie would've been able to have a more consistent tone, pace, and balance, which would've shot my rating up a bit. Also, even at nearly 3 hours, the film is too long, despite it being cut from an early draft, which is twice as lengthy.

So love it or hate it? This is a movie where you can't quite run down the middle so easily. It has divided even serious moviegoers and critics, and that's one reason you should see it for yourself so you could determine if it's any good. My opinion is that, yes, I like it. It is a good, maybe great, movie, but it's nowhere near as good as Saving Private Ryan. But The Thin Red Line is a transcendent and more advanced one. Round 2, which will stand the test of time???