Every movie fights its own war - And this lost due to being unfavourably compared with `Saving Private Ryan'

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2002)

`The Thin Red Line' has gone down as being `that other war movie' that came out at the same time as `Saving Private Ryan'. Accused of stealing from the latter, `The Thin Red Line' got over looked, and unfairly at that as the two should not be compared.
`The Thin Red Line' is about the Americans and their role in the conflict of Guadalcanal during World War II. It focuses on a group of soldiers and a couple of key battles they took part in. It does not focus on any particular soldier instead choosing to float between certain key people, allowing us to share in their thoughts and feelings. Whereas `Saving Private Ryan' struck a primeval chord in viewers with it's raw, unflinching visceral look at war, `The Thin Red Line' decides to take a more poetic, human approach. Thus the characters can share themselves using narrative devices such as voiceover or memory sequences. These often act as linchpins for the character - the memory of a lover, a thought on childhood, a musing on nature and life's beauty. Some characters thus have undercurrents of fear mixed with bravery, others - such as Nick Nolte's character - the sadness of time gone by. To this end most of the acting is well up to scratch. As is his forte James Cavaziel plays brooding intensity to a tee which, when combined with his flashback sequences, creates one of the most memorable characters of the movie. Nick Nolte is on fine form as the tired old veteran, desperate for one last grasp of glory. John Cusack shows a range beyond mild comedies as the caring but determined Captain and Elias Koteas has the virtuous flaw of caring too much. The characters interact quite well and the changing viewpoint gives us a more personal feel to them all.
It's the direction on this piece that makes it however. A certain accusation can be given that the movie - without a central lead or plot hinge - is a bit too abstract, a bit too free floating. There's a certain truth to this but the direction embellishes the movie, makes this possible detractor almost a distinguishing quality. We're seeing a meditation that's not just on war, but on the human condition with all its glories and foibles. There's a fair amount of juxtaposition - a cut from the brutality of a battle into the stillness of nature via swooping a camera down into grass, or cutting to a shot of wildlife. The cinematography employed is gorgeous with a real harmonic beauty to it. You could look at this movie and just sheer grin at the prettiness you see. This does, at times, have the effect of detracting from the horror of war - the sense of brutality can be lost in the lingering landscapes.
`The Thin Red Line' shares nothing but a war with `Saving Private Ryan'. The brutal edge that drives home into the viewer is lacking, but this is the far more beautiful of the two, imbued with a sense of lyricism that cinema often lacks nowadays. At times the meandering ambivalence of the movie can undermine it - there's no real central plot - and the lack of a lead character can undercut its strength. Despite that the poeticism is ultimately rewarding and the haunting imagery, and narrations of the soldiers and their journey would sit in your head far more than the flag-waving gore-laden exercises that war movies have become. 8/10.