the war film genre given a new landmark

Rating: 10/10 (8 November 2000)

Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line has quickly become my favourite film of all time. I didnt feel this way after seeing it for the first time, but the thing with this film is that it works into you. a day after you've seen it, you're still thinking about it. it was the same with Saving Private Ryan, but in a different way.
Where as with Ryan, you were more affected by its horror, The Thin Red Line makes you think differently about war, and its effects on the lives of the soldiers, and the crime war is against nature. or is it a crime against nature? is it just that war is part of our nature, and we can do nothing to stop it?
These are the questions that The Thin Red Line asks, literally, and various characters have voice overs during the film, which keeps the audience thinking and mulling over.
I really enjoyed the variety of characters which Malick has withdrawn from the novel by James Jones novel. all interesting in their own way, especially Private Witt (jim caviezel), and his fascination with death.
To top off a fantastic film, the direction is visually stunning aided by superb cinematography from John toll, who won two Oscars in a row for Legends of the Fall, and Braveheart. He should have won again, but lost out to Saving Private Ryan. If you have to see one war film in your life... make it The Thin Red Line. This is the film which blows me away every time i watch it.