A beautiful, complex and deep film.

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 1999)

This is an incredibly beautiful film full of amazing images. It is told in a complex way, not focusing on one particular character but passing through the lives of many soldiers. It's set in WW2, particularly the battle in the Pacific. The film covers everything a film possibly can; at points it is incredibly tense (the run up to the beach landing and particular battles through out the film), it is horrific in its depiction of soldiers being maimed and killed, and then the next moment you are presented with the startling beauty of the environment in which the killing takes place. We constantly are taken back to the "natives" of these islands who at one point an awol soldier interviews in an almost documentary style (reminiscent of the style of Badlands and Days of Heaven, also by Terrence Malick - the director). Some critics have said his depiction of the islanders as pure and unspoilt to contrast with the US soldiers is naive to say the least - but they have failed to spot the fact that the islanders sing Christian songs brought by missionaries (they parade the Bible through their village) and have therefore already been "spoilt" by the outside world. TRL is a brilliant film which will be seen eventually as (one of ) the highpoint(s) in cinema of this decade.