One of the best movies of the year, if you don't mind the slow pace...

Rating: Null/10 (24 February 1999)

I found the Thin Red Line to be a much more satisfying movie than Saving Private Ryan- by a mile. While they are very different movies, I felt the battle scenes in The Thin Red Line matched Private Ryan's to say the least: they were more structured and handled with greater delicacy, whereas in Private Ryan, it was just a lot of blood and guts scattered all over the place. While it provided perhaps a little more horror and realism, it certainly wasn't as well done. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the battle scenes and the peaceful nature scenes, which were superbly done. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line was moving, without being sentimental,which is one of the defining characteristics of the two movies. But it is rather slow at a little less than 3 hours long. While I don't personally mind slow movies, I did see a few people walk out of the cinema halfway through because of the pace. Rather than seeing the slower paced scenes as boring, I tried to understand what they were trying to say. I did have a slight problem with those inner monologues though- I didn't understand half of it. And Nick Nolte's mumbling was particularly hard to understand. Overall, the cast and performances were fantastic, even though some of the cameos (such as Travolta and Clooney) did seem out of place for some reason, and I often questioned the purpose and importance of them being there, even though Woody Harrelson was surprisingly good. One of the most annoying things about watching American-dominated war movies is the way Americans are portrayed, and more importantly, how their enemies are portrayed. Unlike Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line handled this particularly well, which is why I think non-Americans would enjoy this movie a little more. I can see why a lot of people disliked this movie, and I guess it is reasonable for people to dislike it. But I think if you don't mind a slow pace, then you'll find this movie an extremely rewarding cinematic experience, more rewarding than Saving Private Ryan ever will be.