Prequel to "The Things They Carried?"

Rating: Null/10 (5 December 2000)

I recently watched this film again shortly after re-reading Tim O'Brien's terrific short story, "The Things They Carried," which took place during the Vietnam War, and was struck by the similarities between the characters.
In the story, "the things they carried" referred not only to the tangible items they carried through the jungle, but also the emotional burdens they bore, such as guilt, fear, etc. One character spent so much of his time thinking about his love for a girl back home that he believed it affected his ability to do his job in the war. O'Brien served in the infantry in Vietnam, which lends his story immediate credibility.
While Malick's film has been criticized by many as being an unrealistic depiction of war, especially when compared to Saving Private Ryan, I'm hesitant to jump on that bandwagon. Are Private Bell's flashbacks to private moments with his wife really that unrealistic when you think about what soldiers had to do to get through their days? Like the character in The Things They Carried, it probably acted as both a burden and a hope.
Many of the characters in the Thin Red Line all held on to some personal value that made their existence in war both more tolerable and more horrible. Sean Penn's character wanted to numb himself to the horror, but couldn't. Private Witt believed in a better world somewhere else, which stood in contrast to everyone around him. Colonel Tall craved military victory, but even he realized the futility of it all when he sent Staros home because he was too weak, but was going to recommend him for the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
As odd as it sounds, this film is more character-driven than "Saving Private Ryan," which had a slew of non-developed, stereotypical characters who were slaves to a boring plot. Interestingly, I read a Tim O'Brien interview in which he said Saving Private Ryan, aside from the first 20 minutes, which portrayed an accurate, vicious, fragmented battle, basically sucked because of its linear plot. To him, war was anything but linear. He wasn't asked comment on The Thin Red Line. I'd be interested to know how he responded. Maybe he'd say it's a piece of pretentious garbage. Who knows? The film isn't perfect, but I continue to be impressed with the depth and detail of it after each viewing.