The Thin Red Line (1998)
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.
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Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Sadly Over-hyped
hyped garbage
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War. The Thin Red Line is perhaps the best film of Terrence Malick's career from the terrific perfomances from Jim Caviezel and Nick Nolte to well known cameos from John Travolta and George Clooney but also early roles for well known actors such as Nick Stahl and Jared Leto. It's brutal, beautiful and above else an entertaining cinematic experience of a war movie that you should definitely check out and even buy on dvd. (10/10)
In the 1970's Terrence Malick's directorial debut "Badlands", and 5 years later "days of heaven" established him as a fresh, unique voice in a decade that produced a new generation of film makers. Both offerings were both powerful and visually beautiful, and then, he disappeared for twenty years.... He returned to direct one of the greatest war films of all time. No The Thin Red Line does not have a typical story line, but neither does life, and that is what Malick captures and expresses in Red Line so honest and eloquently. Rather than the typical Hollywood plot arc, Malick instead focuses on the conflict, love, and fear the characters are going thru at that moment in time, and in relation to the war. It saddens me but does not surprise me that there are people who don't get Thin Line. Thankfully both critics in the states and around the world both "got" Thin Line, and also often considered it to be the best film of the decade. War is a traumatic experience, and Malick captures that with the honest narration that threads throughout the film. He exposes the characters with their inner narrations, offering the viewer a deeper, and more vulnerable portrait than is usually depicted in typical war films. In many ways it's more a profound character film with the backdrop of war secondary, serving as a setting to explore these characters. Never have I seen a film, or director who better explores the human character so honestly as Malick. That combined with the stunning choreography makes for a unique and beautiful cinematic experience. It's my guess that the people who don't get this film or Malick, are probably also the people who don't get life on a deeper and more honest level.
Sound: Excellent use of sound effects, well done musical score. I enjoyed the use of the Micronesian hymns too. 95/100 Technical: First class cinematography and a poetic editing style with the cutaways. Excellent recreation of Guadalcanal. 100/100 Narrative: The real narrative here is the poetic editing and the inner monologues. On the surface we get the story of a battle on Guadalcanal but the inner monologues give us what the soldiers are really thinking and feeling. 60/100 Character/Acting: The acting is fair all around, but the sum of the whole is greater than all of the parts here. Did I enjoy it: Yes, the beauty of the islands hiding horrific war, the sensitivity of the soldiers, and the irony of their actions. 80/100 Artistic merit: A well crafted film addressing war without pomp and patriotism. 80/100 Total score 82.5/100
Way too much mellodrama and sentimentality. Excellent Cinematography. You'll either love this movie or absolutely hate it. Brian Ghilliotti