a different kind of war movie, but very good and worth watching

Rating: 8/10 (27 August 2005)

The Thin Red Line is an artistic look at James jones's novel about the guadalcanal conflict during World War 2. The film is shot in a brilliant and more artistic manner than most war films, as a result it seems a bit more uncut and surreal. Its also very long, however the story drags one in, and it has some beautiful cinematography (John Toll) and a great score from hans Zimmer to go with an all-star cast. The best performances of the film in my eyes were by Sean penn, James Caviezel and Elias Koteas. The other big faces also did good work, but these 3 gave the most touching performances in my eyes. Travolta, Cusack, Clooney, NOlte and travolta were all impressive as well. Malick's direction was good, this film would be a favorite of mine that I would watch over and over if only it wasn't so long, however running at almsot 3 hours, this film does an extraordinary job of covering the conflict. Its not the most enjoyable, but definitely a well-made film. 8/10 #201 on my list of all-time favorite films