Review about The Thin Red Line

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2015)

The Thin Red Line is based on a novel by James Jones published in 1962. The film was directed by Terence Malick and was released in 1998. During WW2, a deserter named Witt, who is living in a Melanesian village, is taken back by the army. Their mission is to take the whole island to the Japanese who own half of it. The film takes place in an idyllic environment, away from everything. The village where deserters live at the beginning has a peaceful atmosphere but which is also on a land of battlefield. The whole film is all about that, how can the natural beauty of the world be damaged by the horror of humans. This contrast exists in the portrayal of characters too. For example, some soldiers who are afraid to fight or to die can be really cruel against their enemy when they confront them. Even if it is a war film, there isn't much of battlefields scenes. The director gave a lot more attention to the soldiers, their behaviours, feelings and the relationships between them. Through voice-over, you can have access to characters thoughts. There are a lot of reflexions about what they just lived or their life and how war has affected it.