Movie Review: The Thin Red Line (1998)
Marking the return of Terrence Malick after a 20-yr absence, The Thin Red Line is the “other” World War II movie of 1998, overshadowed by Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan but nonetheless nominated for 7 Oscars among which Best Picture and Best Director. Despite their common subject, both movies could not be more different in how they depict the human experience in war. Both occupy different ends of the entertainment-art spectrum. In many ways, Spielberg’s movie is more technically accomplished but also less ambitious. As much as I love Saving Private Ryan, it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors as a conventional blockbuster war movie that is more accessible to mainstream audience. On the other hand, Malick’s movie is much bolder and more ambitious in its scope which may irk some mainstream viewers used to straightforward Hollywood fares. His choices made for an uniquely thought-provoking and philosophical war film.
An adaptation of the WWII novel by James Jones, the story follows the efforts of Charlie Company, a US Army rifle company, to capture an inland airfield on the Japanese-infested island of Guadalcanal. To accomplish that, they must make their way through a series of treacherous ridges and hills held by the enemy. The movie starts like no other war film with a man (Jim Caviezel) slowly walking around a deeply peaceful and heavenly Melanesian village. We get a glimpse of the native population which is living in harmony with its surrounding. Moments later however, we are landing on the beach of Guadalcanal with the men of Charlie Company and soon plunged in the middle of epic battle scenes.
The commanding officer Lt. Col Tall (Nick Nolte) desperately wants to be promoted to General and pushes his men beyond reason, raising opposition by Capt. Staros (Elias Koteas), an hesitant officer who has grown reluctant to risk his men’s lives and perceives the orders as suicidal. Instead of focusing on one single character, Malick attempts to capture the collective thoughts of the entire company. Amid the senselessness of combat, each man spends the quieter moments reflecting upon his own existence, searching for meaning, and trying to maintain his sanity.
Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant director in Hollywood, Terrence Malick was able to assemble, without a doubt, the greatest all-star ensemble cast ever put together. The amount of big names who wanted to work with Malick is truly astounding with Sean Penn even telling him “Give me a dollar and tell me where to show up”. Believe it or not, footage of the likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, Viggo Mortensen and Mickey Rourke never made it into the final cut. Actors like Woody Harrelson and John Savage stayed an extra month on set after their respective parts were done simply to watch Terrence Malick work.
The result is an uniquely poetic and metaphoric anti-war movie that contrasts the beauty of nature with the horror of war. Malick wanted to portray Guadalcanal as a Paradise Lost soiled by the savagery of men. The absolutely superb cinematography by John Toll captures this concept perfectly and the Oscar-winning soundtrack by Hans Zimmer complements the lyrical tone of the movie masterfully. Extending over nearly 3 hours, the movie features Malick’s deliberate pacing which could irk some mainstream viewers, used to nearly non-stop action scenes, as well as his usual contemplative shots of nature. Malick’s trademark fascination with the beauty and cruelty of mother nature shows in The Thin Red Line as he captures the spectacle of clouds passing over a field of tall grass blowing in the wind, of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy, of a wounded chick flopping in the mud.
Unlike Saving Private Ryan, there is no patriotism at work here, most men are only fighting for sheer survival while they watch the people around them slowly disappear and replaced by new faces. The difference between life or death is decided simply by being at the right place at the right time. The Thin Red Line steps into territory that Spielberg’s movie never dared enter. The title itself refers to the demarcation between sanity and insanity. How does a man cope with the savagery surrounding him in a time of war? Frequent voice-overs are used to prob the depth of each soldier thoughts and emotions as each of them copes with their reality differently.
The performance are uniformly solid although the characters are not sharply defined on purpose. As Pvt. Witt, Jim Caviezel gives a very good performance as a tormented yet outwardly calm and stoic character. Ben Chaplin is equally outstanding as a soldier who is constantly thinking about his beloved wife (Miranda Otto) waiting at home while Sean Penn is good as a hardened Sergeant. Nick Nolte gets the most flashy and high-powered turn as Lt. Col. Tall and acquits himself brilliantly as the furious high-ranking commanding officer who wants his promotion at all cost.
Finally, Elias Koteas is a revelation as the scared and indecisive Capt. James Staros, a front-line officer who has grown too close to his men and fears risking their lives ascending the hill. Bigger movie stars such as George Clooney and John Travolta also make small cameo apparitions here and there although those seem to be completely extraneous and only there to please the movie studio. I personally have no issue with the bigger names taking a backseat to lesser-known actors as some critics have.
Showcasing Terrence Malick’s trademark eye for visual poetry and meditative pacing, The Thin Red Line is an exquisitely stunning and emotionally breathtaking war film that probes the limits of the human experience. “Each Man Fights his own War” the tagline says: Each man of Charlie company is trying to make sense of his reality, aren’t we all doing the same thing?
A
(10/10)
Lesson of the Day:
Everything’s a lie. Everything you hear, everything you see. So much to spew out. They just keep coming, one after another. You’re in a box. A moving box. They want you dead, or in their lie… There’s only one thing a man can do – find something that’s his, and make an island for himself. If I never meet you in this life, let me feel the lack; a glance from your eyes, and my life will be yours.
Notes: Rated R for realistic war violence and language, 170 minutes, a Fox 2000 Pictures release.
30 Comments
I have been urged to see this by the cast alone, but as always, I avoid war movies like the plague. This probably makes me a pussy, but I just can’t stand the entire genre.
I might check this out, though, just cause this is very convincing.
I find that a lot of war movies succumb to “too many characters, too little screentime”, particularly if they want the deaths to be moving. I always felt that Band of Brothers was lucky to be a miniseries to have the time to let you remember the characters’ names, let alone their personalities, etc.
I do need to give this a look, though.
I really want to see this. Unlike Ripley I do enjoy war movies…they always make me feel so privileged. I will check this out, definitely, especially with such a strong recommendation.
Who is that in the second picture? I can’t tell…
Ben Chaplin
Almost every scene of this film is just another piece of art, that should be framed for only the best Museums. Malick is a poet, and this is his greatest piece of all-time without a doubt.
This is one of those movies I enjoy, but, even though I’m a huge epic film fan, can’t sit through in one sitting entirely. My two main complaints have always been: 1) way too many characters (but such is the way of war) and 2) Way too much time spent on the opening battle. Once we get away from that battle some, and see more of the war through the soldiers eyes it becomes a much more unique experience.
You’re completely right, it’s so tough to look at this an not compare it to the “other” all star war movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’. This was the “deeper” film.
What I liked most about this was the music oddly enough. I do agree with Univarn on the too many characters. It was a film that really showed what soldiers go through and how close the bonds are, especially in times of war. Awesome observation, “The difference between life or death is decided simply by being at the right place at the right time.”
@ Univarn, Marc: Yes, many have criticized the “too many characters” and the fact that they all look alike and are sometimes hard to distinguish. This was done on purpose by Malick though as he wanted to generalize WWII as every and any war, the men of Charlie Company as any man who has fought in a war.
Good to know that someone else thinks this is better than Saving Private Ryan. Each vision through each soldier’s eyes provides an unique take on war.
I don’t necessarily think that one or the other is better. They are two completely different movies, Saving Private Ryan being a masterful war blockbuster while TTRL is much more artsy and lush with substance that takes multiple viewings to fully grasp.
Very well-written (as always)! Is it a crime that I haven’t seen this film yet? I have no idea why I haven’t yet, the cast in this is top-notch. I’m going to move it up a couple notches on my netflix queue so I can finally check it out in the near future.
Sounds good! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
I’ve only seen little bits and pieces of this, and I really want to sit down and watch it all the way through. Nice writeup!
Hell yes you do!
I saw this when I was like 12 years old and remember being bored out of my mind. After reading your review I’m definitely going to have to revisit it. Back then I cared much more about things blowing up than I did stuff like storyline or visual style.
A well-written and thoughtful review, Castor. Unfairly overlooked in theaters, this film did end up being Saving Private Ryan’s quieter, more thoughtful understudy. It’s interesting now to look at The Thin Red Line and compare it to the Spielberg-produced The Pacific which also features an episode about Guadalcanal.
Both films are great – I’ve always warmed to SPR more because it’s easier to watch and looks at D-Day and the latter stages of the war in Europe which has interested me more than the American battle in the Pacific. Perhaps it is a European thing – we study WWII operations in Europe and Africa but don’t do much of anything relating to the Japanese/American fight (apart from Pearl Harbour of course). That of course makes films like The Thin Red Line more interesting and I think I’ll be watching this film with an eye to the recent television series The Pacific, to see how they approach the battles, the characters, and the situation.
I felt Malick did a great job with the movie though. I agree it’s is difficult to marry such a strong and varied cast with a dramatic story without losing a common thread. But I he maintains his theme throughout and that was his intention. I love this idea of Paradise juxtaposed with destruction – it’s an almost perfect metaphor for (anti-)war
This is a fantastic analysis. So many people crap on TTRL because, I think, people are more comfortable with patriotism than pacifism. Thank you for promoting this. I truly feel that it should be part of high school curriculum.
Thank you Ruben. It means a lot.
That is high praise indeed, I am interested now. Sounds Good.
Nick Nolte brings down the fucking house in this.
The first time around, the lack of well defined characters bugged me. But I watched it again, and it all made sense and I got what Malick was going for and it worked. I think a lot of people knock on this film because they take it on the terms of a “Saving Private Ryan” instead of the terms Malick sets, which is just silly.
Exactly. Many people come in expecting another Platoon, or Saving Private Ryan and cannot grasp what Terrence Malick intentions are. Why is he spending two minutes of screen time on an alligator slowly moving in muddy water? Why is that same alligator dead at the end of the movie? Why does the movie start on some version of Eden when this is publicized as a war movie? Why isn’t there more explosions and battle sequences? Where are all the A-list stars I was promised?
People have been conditioned to expect a certain type of movie from all the blockbusters they have been watching.
Castor, you broke your rating rule. Didn’t you say you would never give a film a grade ‘A’? Or am I imagining again? The Thin Red Line is one of the few recent war movies I haven’t seen, I’ll have get around to it.
Ahaha Ronan, I said I would never give an A+ which I have never given so far
You gave an A+ to LA Confidential
Personally, I see it as one of the most impressive movies ever. The range and intensity of emotions evoked by the experience of watching this movie is incredible.
Hey Castor, I’ve made up a link to this review in one of my own, and I pinched some of your design work, hope that’s okay. here’s the link to my review, your logo towards the bottom prior to the comments!
http://www.fernbyfilms.com/2008/04/05/movie-review-saving-private-ryan-vs-the-thin-red-line/
Cheers, Rodney
It’s all good Rodney! Thanks for linking to us, you wrote a very good review although you probably already know that I don’t exactly agree with your assessment of the film
Yeah, I know you found TTRL a lot more involving and interesting than I did. I guess that’s what makes watching films such a subjective thing: we can both see something different in the same thing!
Trackbacks