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Directed by: Terrence Malick Starring: James Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line is as much about the conflict implicit in life as it is about war itself. Criticised by some at the time of its release for its alleged oversimplification and unsubtle "war is bad" message, The Thin Red Line contains a more delicate philosophy that can be lost in the tumult. Malick draws heavily on natural imagery to convey the film's message. Here a crocodile slides into a muddy stream, there a dying bird with a broken wing flaps in the dust, soldiers hunkered in the grass beneath the gaze of enemy machineguns are menaced by a passing snake. For Malick the war in the Pacific is a symptom of a wider flaw in nature and is always put in its context. This extends to the soldiers' personal lives. The troops of The Thin Red Line dream of home more explicitly than any previously committed to film. There is no passing of photographs or comments on the attractiveness of "the old lady". Instead Malick makes his audience privy to his characters' inner thoughts, through a series of soliloquays and profoundly sensual flashbacks. It is in these private musings that the film's philosophy unfolds. It is fair to say that Malick portrays war as bad, but he does not necessarily portray it as wrong. Rather his film reveals and wonders at the extent to which struggle is an embedded characteristic of life. This is most clearly expressed in the voiceover of Private Train, who asks "What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself?" The film's purpose is not to answer that question, but to pose it in the most poignant and moving way possible. You won't find war porn here. Though there is a great deal of combat, it is presented with an eye for human fumbling and moral ambiguity. The blood geysers and deafening explosions of Saving Private Ryan are absent. You also won't find heroes. The closest thing to a protagonist in The Thin Red Line is James Caviezel's Private Witt, a thoughtful man who manages to stay on the front lines while approaching the status of conscientious objector. As we follow his observation of the war we are exposed to the past, present and inner lives of many other grunts and officers. We are presented with a kaleidescope of perspectives, obscuring moral judgement but encouraging contemplation. The Thin Red Line is both meditative and emotionally powerful, but may not appeal to those who are looking for glory, triumph or clear-cut tragedy. Much of the value of the film is in what you make of it. As Witt says "One man looks at a dying bird and thinks there's nothing but unanswered pain. That death's got the final word, it's laughing at him. Another man sees that same bird, feels the glory, feels something smiling through it" 5/5
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| # ? May 2, 2004 13:40 |
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| # ? May 19, 2013 20:42 |
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While many people loathe this movie, I love it. It's long, it's depressing, and it's deeper than any other war movie you'll ever find. I give it 4/5 stars.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 13:42 |
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The Thin Red Line was probably the movie that first made me take film seriously. It was the first movie that I really did not want to end. I get a lot of crap for liking it, but the photography is utterly stunning, Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is hauntingly atmospheric, and the acting is top-notch. It's not a perfect movie by any means, however: it's rather disjointed (probably due to Malick's filmmaking method, more than anything), the overall message is somewhat questionable, and it is easy to dismiss as hokey. But Malick can draw out emotion like few other directors. While it might not be Days of Heaven, most filmmakers would be lucky to come close to this one. It'll stay with you long after. 4.5/5.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 16:02 |
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What I like about this movie is how it is a lot more personal than other war movies. The Thin Red Line deals more with the human side of war than the WOW LOOK AT THE EXPLOSIONS part, and for that I thought it was great. The only thing I disliked about the movie was the length. Overall I would give it a 4/5.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 16:46 |
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quote:Harry Potter came out of the closet to say: 4 I really like the quotes from the movie too... other fans of the movie will find this interesting: http://www.eskimo.com/~toates/malick/trl/
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| # ? May 2, 2004 17:36 |
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I really disliked this movie. It seemed too long and pointless. I think other films have taken the themes and done better. A great cast, though.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 17:40 |
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I actually saw this movie in the theatre. Mostly because I'll see any movie based on the Second World War that comes out. Anyway, I didn't really like it very much when I saw it but later when it was on TV I watched it again and enjoyed it a lot. A friend of mine had the exact same experience.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 19:53 |
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I watched this film in the cinema, and of the bunch of maybe 7 people who went, everyone else hated it. I found it profoundly moving, for the reasons eloquently expressed by The Artificial Kid. The film is not so much about the event of war as it is a meditation on the nature of humanity and the world it inhabits. Personally I don't find it at all depressing: I suppose the fates of some of the protagonists are unfortunate, but there's a lot of life affirming content in there too. I can't watch the scenes with Witt and the Polynesians without a dumb grin on my face. A clear 5 for me, and I need to watch it again very soon.
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| # ? May 2, 2004 23:46 |
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Good photography, good acting, and good action. Still, it seemed to be entirely devoid of any significant purpose, and lacked the ability to immerse me in any way. The editing seemed a bit last-second as well. That said, I do respect anyone who liked or loved this movie; it had all the makings of an excellent film, it simply didn't give me a reason to come out satisfied in any way. I'll give it a two, albeit with some reluctance.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 00:07 |
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Well...it's got beautiful photography. Other than that, I found it pretty dull. Perhaps I'm recalling incorrectly, but it seemed like it went an hour and a half before there was any action at all, and then the action was brief and unremarkable. After a while, people in the theater started looking around, confused, wondering if anyone else knew what was going on, as if they'd wandered into the wrong theater. Pretty soon there were hordes of people streaming for the doors, as if the air conditioner had farted. I wish I had joined them but I stayed to the end.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 00:19 |
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It's dull as gently caress, and an amateur script writers mental masturbation presents itself during the long drawn out and obnoxious analysis done by each soldier. The person who wrote this movie obviously has little to no grasp upon the psychological effects of war. 2/5.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 00:20 |
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I'm a worthless gently caress on the way to getting banned
Somebody fucked around with this message at May 11, 2004 around 06:25 |
| # ? May 3, 2004 00:48 |
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More than dull as gently caress. I watched this with a World War II vet and he was laughing at how painfully unrealistic the entire thing was. The inaccuracies of this movie are too numerous to count. The movie itself is extremely boring and seems to never loving end. It is dripping with "OMG TOO INTELLIGENT FOR YOU" cinematic bullshit. Stay far, far away from this movie. Definitely in the top five worst movies I have ever sat through. .5, and would vote lower if it were possible.
JakeMcD fucked around with this message at May 14, 2004 around 20:37 |
| # ? May 3, 2004 02:03 |
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quote:]-[ate_Sandwich came out of the closet to say: That being said, what LowJack said made me wish I had addressed this point in the review, though. I don't think it was really meant to be about the psychological effects of war. It was meant to be about the psychology of man, and it used war as a canvas. There may not be many senior officers like Colonel Tall, but there are a lot of men who might respond like Colonel Tall to the combination of the burden of duty and their own desire for glory. Conversely, there are not many men like Private Witt, and so he cannot be said to be representative of man's response to war, but what he and his fellow fictional soldiers have to say was, to me, interesting and moving to listen to. I also doubt that many other war films have got any closer to describing the psychology of war. One of the best I've seen in that respect was A Most Ungentlemanly Act, a miniseries about the opening of the Falklands War, in which the Falklands' small garrison of Royal Marines gears up to delay the invastion of twenty times its number of Argentinians. Watching that I could recall the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I would get as a schoolboy cadet going out on night exercises in the bush, which I think is the closest I have personally come to feeling the psychology of war. I would also like to point out that though the film lacks heroes, it is not short of courage, especially in the dawn attack on the bunkers. The soldiers aren't just cyphers for philosophy about war, they do the things that soldiers do. In fact the attack on the hill seemed very truthful to me. The men hesitate but they don't flee. They are brave but they don't throw their lives away. There were small touches that really brought them to life as soldiers for me, psychologically speaking. Take the optimism bias of Private Doll, who after shooting a Jap and seeing two others retreat decides that the Japs are probably "pulling out". "Do you think they're pulling out?" he says to his buddies, "I think they're pulling out!" Saving Private Ryan had the Christian sniper, the fresh-faced noob, the gruff seargent, the warm-hearted but capable captain, the cynical smart alec, the Jew, the marked medic and Vin Diesel. The Thin Red Line had a vast cast of unique and fallible human beings in green.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 02:11 |
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That's precisely why I liked this movie much much more than Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg's movie was dishonest somehow: it assembles all these elements to aproximate an emotional response, to make you think "gee! I guess this is realistic!" but it's utterly lacking a soul. It's an exploitive bit of filmmaking, and it upset me. Identification shouldn't be a weapon. Edit: ]-[ate_Sandwich and anyone else, PLEASE don't flame people in this forum. After all, it is a personal opinion forum...let's keep it that way.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 07:21 |
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i'm a fan of Malick's work, and this film did not disappoint. it's slow, of course, but i also found that the movie goes a lot faster once you've seen it all the way through. despite the appearance of some people who cannot act and i hate to see in movies (Travolta and Clooney in small roles, for example), it's a great film. 5.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 07:25 |
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I too enjoyed the human aspect of this movie. It wasn't all about heroes and explosions like Saving Private Ryan(not bashing the movie), but about something deeper. 4/5
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| # ? May 3, 2004 07:27 |
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Definetly one of the best American war movies and is on par with movies like Idi E Smotri(Come and See) as one of the best war movies of all time.
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| # ? May 3, 2004 07:30 |
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I love war movies, but this is by far my favorite one. It doesn't have the hero we're #1 feel to it like most war films, which was refreshing. I love the soundtrack as well, the Melanesian Chant music really caught my attention , and I listen to it all the time. I'd definitely give this a 5/5
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| # ? May 3, 2004 08:25 |
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What is war? What is love? What is man? What is the point of this movie? Is it a movie? Or is it a film? Who directed it? Was he high? What is the point of all the useless cameo characters? Why did so many characters ask so many useless rhetorical questions? Why does it seem like it was written by a socially inept teenager who just took Psychology 101? Does anyone actually think talking in circles and asking endless questions makes a movie "deep"? Shouldn't this movie have a plot? Who the gently caress greenlit this? Why did I pay eight dollars to see this piece of poo poo? Where do I get my money back? Am I really voting this movie a 0.5 or is the movie actually voting me?
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| # ? May 10, 2004 23:16 |
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this is competing for second place in my favourite movies of all time list, but it's currently at third (preceded by lawrence of arabia in first, and american beauty in second, still, for sentimental reasons). i feel bad for all the saps who saw this in the theatre with their buddies, and who were just looking for a good time. every time i saw this it was by myself, very late at night, when i was feeling melancholy. and it was cathartic every single time. terrence malick isn't like any other filmmakers, no movie connects with the beauty of life like this, except maybe Days of Heaven, and also maybe American Beauty, which is explicitly about that. i don't really know how he does it. also, pt. Witt is preceicely the kind of man i wish i was, and when i'm at my best, i'm closest to being. that self-aware smile and the thoughtfulness, the way he reacts to people not by talking, but by figuring out exactly what they're saying, and then addressing that in as few words as possible. "i still see that spark in you". i wish the negative reviewers would spend more than two sentances telling me why they didn't like this film. i can understand if you feel robbed, if you were expecting something else. but the hostility i don't understand. an easy 5.5/5
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| # ? May 11, 2004 20:24 |
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I will never understand all the hate this movie gets. I think it is a piece of art, the perfect way to show the terror of soldiers who are caught up in a pointless war. Beautiful shots, great music and a outstanding cast. Probably my favorite movie of all time. (so far) Voted 5.5/5.
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| # ? May 18, 2004 08:03 |
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I think the reason so many people hate this movie is because they watch it expecting to see something along the lines of "SPR2," which is unfortunate. I made this mistake the first time I watched it, I ended up turning it off half-way through because I found it so boring. A few years later I sat down and watched it again, and loved it. This movie is more about the individual characters than the war itself, how they each act and react to the attrocities of war.
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| # ? May 19, 2004 15:41 |
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I can't believe I actually agree with TAK on something 5.5/5
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| # ? May 19, 2004 17:02 |
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Amazing movie, movie for people who don't like war movies, weird movie. Much bullshit Heidegger-talk but it works! 5/5
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| # ? May 31, 2012 21:46 |
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de_sadesky posted:I watched this film in the cinema, and of the bunch of maybe 7 people who went, everyone else hated it. I found it profoundly moving, for the reasons eloquently expressed by The Artificial Kid. The film is not so much about the event of war as it is a meditation on the nature of humanity and the world it inhabits. Personally I don't find it at all depressing: I suppose the fates of some of the protagonists are unfortunate, but there's a lot of life affirming content in there too. I can't watch the scenes with Witt and the Polynesians without a dumb grin on my face. My sentiments--and experience--exactly.
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| # ? Jun 3, 2012 04:00 |
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LowJack posted:It's dull as gently caress, and an amateur script writers mental masturbation presents itself during the long drawn out and obnoxious analysis done by each soldier. The person who wrote this movie obviously has little to no grasp upon the psychological effects of war. Look up James Jones, author of the book of the same name. He's one of the all time greats. From Here to Eternity is a masterpiece as a book and a movie as well. TRL is like a stereogram - if you don't see the intended effect, it's junk.
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| # ? Jun 3, 2012 04:04 |
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| # ? May 19, 2013 20:42 |
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I watched this movie during a long summer desk shift, and at first, for about 48 minutes or so, I was wondering where the 'war' part of it was. I noticed the star-studded cast which is a white lie (most only appear for a few minutes) , and was expecting a sort of Saving Private Ryan in the Pacific, if you get me. However, once I decided to stick it out and let the film take its course, I really started getting intrigued. Sure, there was excitement, but mostly it started to get really deep under my skin. I don't know particularly why. Part of it could be the amazing score, and it's a soundtrack I'd -greatly- recommend. Most notably are the tracks, "Journey to the Line," "Light," and "God U Tekem Laef Blong Mi" just tears my heart out. Wonderful cast, too, and the ending was beautiful. 4.5/5 P.S. There are more Melanesian choir tracks to be had, just not directly from the soundtrack itself. You'll probably have to hit up Youtube for those.
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| # ? Jul 15, 2012 16:36 |
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