Perhaps the best war movie ever filmed

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2001)

The Thin Red Line is, in my opinion, the best war movie ever filmed. It brilliantly explores the private terrors of the front-line troops and the folly of dying for "dirt," as one of the soldiers remarks.

Sean Penn is rock-solid as the sergeant, Jim Caveziel is innocent and Christlike as the questioning narrator, and Nick Nolte is always on the brink of bursting an aneurism as the colonel who wants to defeat the enemy at any human cost. Elias Koteas, John Cusack, and Woody Harrelson also deliver intelligent, heartbreaking performances.
But the film is as much about the duality of nature as it is about war, and director Terrence Malick has no equal when it comes to filming images that stay with you long after the movie is over. He captures the beauty and cruelty of nature in breathtaking ways.
I strongly recommend this film to anyone who appreciates fine acting, glorious cinematography, and a pitch-perfect point of view.