Beautiful, mystical but slow

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 1999)

TRl isn't an easy film. Mystical, shifting, perhaps unfocused, occasionally exciting, more often philosophical, it was a brave decision to make it this way.
One should start by observing that the photography is superb (though, admittedly, it would be hard to make this landscape look dull), some of the performances are excellent (Chaplin, Koteas, Nolte), and Hans Zimmer's score is beautiful, seamlessly blending his own string arrangements with the works of Ives and Part.
Malick's take on war as a soul-searching experience is rewarding, and makes a neat contrast to Spielberg's gung-ho approach. Nevertheless, I did find myself wanting him to get a move on at times; when the film seemed in need of some propulsion, Malick would stop for some slow-motion contemplation with voice-over, or another shot of an exotic bird. This makes the whole experience dreamy, but slow.
The casting isn't always successful: Cusack looks out of place, and you'll miss Clooney's contribution if you blink. As for Caviezel, I found myself just wanting to smack him in the end.
8 out of 10, then, for courage, for finesse, for novelty and for intelligence: this is a good film which exhibits all these qualities. But I found myself preferring Ryan - for its directness, for its technical achievement, and for its harrowing detail, which TRL cannot (and does not try to) match.