view with an open mind and you might actually like it

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 1999)

if you're expecting saving private ryan II don't bother seeing the thin red line. but, if you keep an open mind and approach the film accepting that it's long, disjointed and sometimes confusing, you might just enjoy it.
two of the best things about it are: 1. unlike saving private ryan, it doesn't impose such a contrived plot upon the characters. the story is about people, about humanity and the inanity of violence and war. just because it doesn't have a traditional plot structure (... raising action, climax, falling action ...)doesn't mean there isn't a plot. it's just a glimpse of the horrors and events that happened throughout the war.
2. the images, as many have said, are intense and harrowing. i'll never forget the scene where the company captured the japanese camp and the looks on the soldiers' (american & japanese) faces.
yes, the film is too long and it seems like there is something missing sometimes. (if some of the nature and swimming scenes were shorter, i would have liked it A LOT better.) if you have the slightest desire to see this film, wait for video if you must, but definitely see it -- it's worth it.