Deserved every available award for '98

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2002)

The reclusive Terrence Malick came out of a 20 year sabbatical to direct this stunning adaptation of James Joyce's novel. Oscar winning cinematographer John Toll's photography is achingly beautiful and is only one of the many highlights of this tremendous film, which was itself one of the few highlights of the '98 film season. The script and score are also invaluable in producing this hauntingly real film. Although robbed by Shakespeare In Love of the Best Picture award, The Thin Red Line is one of the many examples of those films that totally surpassed their 'competitors' when it came to the award. Unfair comparisons to Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan turned many would-be viewers away. (Well, that and the 3-hour running time perhaps). Whereas SPR was a war film that showed the unabashed glory of war, THRL is a more cerebral and un-Hollywood take on war, showing the ugliness and futility that wars produced. Malick's script doesn't suffer from pretension as others have argued; it is just a brave enough piece to juxtapose intellectualism with the action' of war. The acting by the ensemble, led mostly by James Caviezel and Ben Chaplin(yes, i know its an ensemble) is all mostly well above par. The actors deliver their lines with aplomb, not degrading the humanitarianism with smirking preaching. Although the cameos' by John Travolta and George Clooney do bring this aspect down, as they simply seem to be overacting, showing off as it were.
The Thin Red Line is one of the most beautifully acted, written and directed films of the last century, as well as being one of the best war' films ever produced. Absolutely stunning.