A couple of bright spots

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2003)

Thin Red Line fronts itself with a set of established names in the acting business. This puts people in the seats, and that's all nice and good. The irony is that a small name, Jim Caviezel, grabs the emotion and becomes the core of the movie.
The movie is a bit misguided. A lot of scenes are slopped together, and although it reflects war it's not good cinema. What makes a movie good is the ability to sweep up the audience and control their feelings. Once the audience is confused it's very hard to get this to happen. I think that, in literary form, you can catch the view of many easily. In a movie, it becomes jumbled and too much for viewers. The battles in the movie were good, but the plot seemed to try too hard to pluck our sensitive cords.

Caviezel carries this movie. As Witt, he shows us a man who only wants beauty and peace in his life. Unfortunately, a war becomes the only way to attain this. I feel for him every time he escapes to his Utopian dream, and allow myself to be swept up in that dream with him. If you do this you can understand how terrible this war was for Witt.
Witt's last scene in the movie is so beautiful I couldn't speak for a long time. Watch as Caviezel's face turns and gathers what he's been dealt, the realization. It's there. And then, just through watching his eyes, you know what will happen. I actually thought it would've been perfect if they cut it there and had him swimming or something, with that captivating soundtrack going in the background. Unfortunately, they added a little more, and I don't think they should've.
The bottom line is, watch the movie through Witt. You will find a message, not to mention one of the greatest scenes in movie history. And keep that soundtrack in your mind while watching. It plays so sweetly.