The Battle Within

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2006)

It is hard to imagine for those who were not there the emotions that were felt during combat in World War II. The harsh realities of going form civilian life to dodging bullets, hiding in abandoned buildings, and ambushing your enemy while they are waking up are difficult to grab hold of. The times have changed, but the attitude towards what these brave soldiers went through has not. What really happened lies only in the minds of those who were on the battle field, not in a history book or some television special. Director Terrence Malick hopes to change your view on the men and who gave their lives so we might live ours in peace.
Malick's intense war epic The Thin Red Line is a look into what the men were thinking about during and after the blood was shed. It is the behind the scenes look of the American and Allied forces in the Pacific Campaign. The film opens with Private Witt (James Caviezel) enjoying his "vacation" from the military, living amongst the islanders of the pacific. Before the military finds that he is AWOL, Witt enjoys living in a society where war is nonexistent and peace is everyday life. His life is quickly going to be changed when Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn) finds him and brings him back to his "family".
The Battle of Guadalcanal was a brutal campaign. The men weren't getting the supplies they needed and the enemy had the advantage of the territory. With the anger of missing home, wanting to win, and sheer courage, the American's pushed through. The struggle of officers with one another is evident with Lt. Col. Tall (Nick Nolte) who wants to run the show and make sure credit is given where it is due. Pressure from above forces him to push his troops to the limit and overcome the Japanese forces.
What Malick incorporates into this story alongside the war aspect is the ripple effect the war has on the surrounding area. Machine gun fire tears through the jungle. Wildlife is forced to adapt to the intruders. The camera is almost an observer, neutral to the outcome of the war, just overseeing the devastation this war is having on everything. At one point Witt returns to the tribe he had come to love and become a part of only to find that hate and fear had entered the village. A settlement void of struggle now is engulfed in it.
With not as much dialogue as most war movies, The Thin Red Line relies on voice over to convey the characters feelings motives. There is the usual war language, but during the times of rest or searching, the soldiers reflect on memories past, friends and family left behind, and what is going to happen next. What seems to be a talking journal to go along with the film, the audience can really get in touch with what the soldiers are going through. Not being able to feel remorse for fallen comrades and enemies is considered "bliss" for Sgt. Welsh. The reality of seeing you friends who you have been together with for months and seeing them shot in half is all too emotional to comprehend.
Where The Thin Red Line prevails where other war movies don't is the connection made with the soldiers. Other films like Saving Private Ryan, although epic and stunning in its own respect, rely on the war itself and not the war within the men. Granted, the war was terrible and should not be forgotten, the struggle the men went through and what their families endured is paramount.