I couldn't even finish watching it

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 1999)

Sometimes I can't understand what people are thinking. It's hard to imagine what sort of people nominated this film for Best Picture of the Year. After 2 hours, I had to turn it off, rewind it, and instantly bring it back to the video store. I went into this movie expecting way more than it delivered. I was expecting a war movie; what I got was half a war movie, and half a "bring back all the memories of my life before the war" love story. Tossing a few big-name stars in the mix didn't help either. Harrleson, Clooney, Travolta ... perhaps they thought these people would salvage the film.
Nick Nolte was spectacular, however; his powerful performance was one aspect that made it slightly bareable. Aside from Nolte, I found myself dozing off many times.
In my opinion, "The Thin Red Line" could have been so much better. It IS a shame, however, that 99% of the people watching this movie were comparing it to "Saving Private Ryan". This didn't help matters either.
If you have $4.00 burning a hole in your pocket, rent it. But make sure it's on a night when there's something good on TV, because you'll find yourself switching it off to see what the Baywatch Lifeguards are up to.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5