Same ol' Malick

Rating: 9/10 (29 January 2006)

This film was just like _The Thin Red Line_ to me: beautiful, artistic, deep, insightful and a little too long. I love Malick's style; he doesn't do action or fluff. He gets to the heart of the humanity in his stories. The narrative voice-overs from multiple characters may seem abstract, but they reveal what is at stake. If 75% of our communication is non-verbal, these voice-overs help us truly understand what is on the screen. For example, Farrell's character doesn't talk much. But we know what he's thinking thanks to Malick's artistic style. If you like Malick, you will like this film. If you don't, well ... you just might think this is the worst movie ever made. Christian Bale is a little under-utilized, as is David Thewlis, but everyone can't get the juicy roles.