Poetry, pure poetry

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 2010)

The Thin Red Line is poetry on film: a beautiful, bitter, harrowing, thought-provoking contemplation of life, love, death, pain, loss and fear. Without playing too much to one side or the other, the film depicts each viewpoint as if it's of the utmost importance and the line between enemies is slowly blurred by common human emotion.
The quiet, almost hypnotic voice overs lull the viewer into a sense of calm that is in stark contrast to the violent struggles of war splayed out across the screen. The beauty in every shot only further illustrates the tragedies that play across the landscapes. There's no typical war movie here. Instead, it's a hauntingly philosophical look at the effects of war on all involved...from the soldiers in the field, to the hardened commander, the 'enemy' and those left behind at home.