Rent The Thin Red Line (1998)

A Mystical Study Of Man's Desire For Self Destruction - The Thin Red Line review by GI

This is director Terrence Malick's third feature film and it had been twenty years since his previous one. So it says something about his reputation and the respect he's given by the sheer number of top actors who wanted to appear in this film. Hailed as a maverick genius many of Malick's films however can leave viewers perplexed and disconcerted. The Thin Red Line is no exception. Yes it's a war film set during the Second World War and covering the battle for the island of Guadalcanal. But it's a war film that goes completely against the conventions of the genre and whilst it has some very realistic combat scenes it shuns action, patriotism and even narrative to bring a film that takes an exquisite look at nature. It's a film that is about seeking knowledge and truth and whilst it condemns the stupidity of man's relentless need for war it also celebrates the beauty of the Earth even while bloody death is all around. So this is a tragedy really, a reflection of our co-existence with nature and the rest of the world and our apparent commitment to destroy ourselves. The film follows an American army company as it lands on the island and their attempts to root out the wily Japanese soldiers. The central section of the film is a cautious battle to destroy enemy machine gun bunkers sited on the top of swaying grasslands. There's a serene beauty to this even when the soldiers are being killed. There is no real central character, the closest being Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), a deserter, caught and returned to his unit who sees the futility of the war but is forced to take part. The cast is stellar and large and includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney and Jared Leto. There's no doubt this is an important piece of cinema and it certainly requires several viewings to really get to the depths of the film and appreciate it fully but if you haven't seen this then I certainly recommend it.

War Poetry - The Thin Red Line review by Steve

The best of many big screen accounts of the invasion of Guadalcanal in 1942 by the US Marines, which was the first US victory of WWII and accomplished with many casualties. This is loosely adapted from a novel by James Jones, who was there. The approach combines bloody realism with an abundance of interpretation.

Though any apprehension regarding Terrence Malick exploiting the immense sacrifice of the soldiers to post his own personal philosophy is soon laid to rest. This may be the most empathetic view of their experiences ever attempted. Sure this is cine-poetry; a beautiful looking arthouse war with a melancholy soundtrack...

But it really feels like we see through the eyes of the men. For over two hours this is terrifying, until the last 30 minutes when the author's voice gains control. The ensemble cast is led by Jim Caviezel and few of the many celebrities get much more than a cameo. My standout is Woody Harrelson's pretty harrowing death scene.

And I'd like to see more of John C. Reilly. The reflections on nature and man's tribal heart are not illuminating, but this excels as cinematic art which also conveys the combat events with some coherence. 1998 was the year of Saving Private Ryan which critics felt should have won the Oscar. But this would have got my vote.