A Sprawling and Incomprehensibly Brilliant Film

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 1999)

I have seen "The Thin Red Line" once, yet I know that I haven't seen it all. Terrence Malick's masterful war epic is a triumph of art, an existential exploration of the effects and realities of war. Mostly without plot and relying on a stream of character structure, the film is a dense and finely acted marvel that will only make sense if you take the effort to put all of the pieces together. It is true that the film is messy, jarring, and somewhat disjointed, but the scope and daring of Malick's vision keep the film together even as it threatens to come apart at the seams. Vibrant, honest, and lacking in the forced patriotic fervor and melodramatic contrivities that marred the otherwise powerful "Saving Private Ryan", this is a film that pushes boundaries and truly succeeds.
Special mention should be made of Ben Chaplin, Nick Nolte and Elias Koteas, who all give amazing performances, as well as the fine score by Hans Zimmer.