I love the smell of intellectual elitism in the morning...

Rating: Null/10 (17 May 2001)

Apparently the battle lines have been drawn: If you liked The Thin Red Line, you are obviously thoughtful, rational, perhaps even a member of Mensa! If you did not like it, you are a moronic member of the unwashed masses, incapable of appreciating anything more challenging than Ace Ventura or that "Hey, Vern" guy.
I consider myself of average intelligence and tastes. I watch and enjoy a wide variety of movies. I've never taken a course in film criticism at the local community college. I don't know much about art, but I know what I like. And I didn't really like the Thin Red Line. But hold on, I didn't hate it either. Please, reserve judgment and read on...
TTRL is a beautiful film. Visually stunning, with compelling and disquieting cinematography. The colors, jungle images, the depictions of simple village life, the grimy reality of war were all filmed in a truly incredible way.
The comparisons and contrasts were "in your face" and arch, as if to say, "here is The Message." The lack of a linear storyline was hard to swallow in a nearly three-hour film. And yes, I realize the point was to illustrate the random and chaotic nature of war.
The characters were not as developed as you might expect in a film of this nature (and length). Travolta and Nolte chewed up the scenery in their limited appearances in way that would make Jim Carrey feel uncomfortable.
That being said, I've watched this movie five times. I appreciate the human face it puts on war. It forced me to confront the fact that war is young men and women, scared and confused, doing the unthinkable under circumstances almost unbearable.
The Thin Red Line is not the best movie ever made. It's not even the best war movie ever made. I would give it a "10" for cinematography, a "2" for everything else. That averages out to a "6". A middle of the road score from a committed member of the middlebrow!