War has no HONOR

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 1999)

So far, The Thin Red Line is the most INTIMATE war film I have ever seen and I liked it very much. I have to admit that this film is not for everyone. It is so abstract, poetic and philosophical in nature. Some of my interpretations goes like: not only people are destroying themselves but they are also ruining nature. It shows the evil that war brings. It was fortunate for me that I 'enjoyed' this film. This movie can't be compared with Saving Private Ryan. If Saving Private Ryan showed us the cruelty of war, The Thin Red Line made us venture into the consciousness/conscience of the soldiers who were directly in it. This movie is SO INTIMATE and thought provoking. Some will even argue how can a war movie can be so SLOW like The Thin Red Line. On this, I have to tell them that they have missed the point. This movie in its entirety tried to convey to the audience how some of those soldiers were thinking, feeling and acting during those unforgiving times. Saving Private Ryan made us abhor the war while The Thin Red Line will not only make you hate and feel the war but will also make you symphatize and emphatize with the victims of war - be it humans or nature. It will give you a glimpse on different points of views of soldiers while in war. I liked the visuals very much and the short battle scene on the hill - it was very tense and scary indeed. The sonics was not on par with Saving Private Ryan while the battle scene reminded me of Forrest Gump. I will not venture into the technicalities as I am not very good at it. The actors are convincing specially caviezel (pvt witt) whose face I really admired. He looked like very 'resolved' and it seems that he knows that he is in a war but can't really justify WHY he and the rest are in it! His thoughts were very philosophical. Chaplin as pvt bell also did a great acting. I felt the sorrow and the anguish that the pvt bell felt upon knowing that his wife wanted a divorce. The other actors did a wonderful job as well. I also liked Penn's welsh who said 'now, where's you spark' on witt's grave. Despite it's melodramatic nature, there are some whimsical moments in the film like a tribesman walking towards them and the barefooted tribesman who went with them through the jungle. True, funny but sad - depends on which perspective you look at it. I felt that most of the people who was in the movie theater with us last night didn't actually liked the movie (because of the phase) based on their reactions in the middle and after the film. We only saw the movie last night and I have to admit that I am still perplexed as to what the Thin Red Line is...