Flawed Masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 1999)

If Ryan gave the senses a workout with the fantastic opening sequence, Terrence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' sets out in completely the different direction. His flawed masterpiece instead opens with voice-over, nature and natives in a 15 minute sequence exploring the parallels and difference war brings the land and man.
The Thin Red Line does contain thrilling battle sequences (the attempt to take a hilltop bunker standout) that can certainly compare with Spielburg's opus. Ryan was filming in a gritty, grainy docu-style; here we view the battle in living colour. The light as it sweeps over the battlefield is brilliantly filmed and brings an extra dimension to the men's futile attempt.
The effects of war both on the men and on how nature can teach us, the violent tendency, is continually explored. Both in voice-over and epic camera moves Malick gives the audience substance to think about and consider.
The film certainly has more 'depth' in its message and its meaning than Ryan. For this reason it will do worse commercially. It is a masterpiece - yet a flawed one. The narrative, broken up (characters appear and disappear) by Malick having to trim his original six hour cut, does slow the film down in places and certainly some minds will wonder.
Quite easily the best film so far of 1999. With all the crap that they have shovelled out so far this year this picture should be a must see.