An anti-war masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 1999)

I'd heard a lot of things about Terrence Malick and I had already seen 'BADLANDS' and been impressed, before visiting the theatre to see 'THE THIN RED LINE'. When I came out of the theatre I was in the same lethargic situation with the soldiers in the movie. I was astonished and that very rarely happens to me. I decided to go and see it again, and that's what I did the day after. And now, six months later I want to experience it again. 'THE THIN RED LINE' isn't a war film. It's every man's attempt to feel the humanity and the kindness under the most terrible circumstances. Terry Malick's adaptation of James Jones' novel is extraordinary, as he adds to the plot the Melanesians' pristine and peaceful environment before the forces of horror come to destroy it. It also describes, the bonds that develop between men fighting together; their feelings and emotions for each other, even for the enemy. Terrence Malick wrote a wonderful screenplay, based on a first-rate, realistic and autobiographical story and his directing work is, at least, great. The ensemble cast is excellent, as excellent are the cinematography, the score, the editing and the sound of the movie. I'll never forget words like: "Property. The hole thing's about property", "Maybe all men got one big soul everybody's part of, all faces are the same man" or " Do you ever feel lonely?', 'Only when I'm around people." I want to mention that I was a soldier in the army for eighteen months and I lived a couple of things that were similar to this movie; things like the never-ending waiting for the training to start, sitting on the ground wondering what I am doing there and being haunted by thoughts about my personal life, or the thing that I made great friends there and the fact that my Captain who, unlike lots of superior officers that cared only for their careers, used to care about the Privates like Captain Stain/Staros did. Of course, I've never experienced a battle, I hope that I never will and no-one will ever experience something like that. I want to thank Mr. Malick for making this masterpiece and giving us the pleasure, to experience it. I'm looking forward for his latest film, 'THE MOVIEGOER'.