Flawed, yet realistic, fascinating and poetic

Rating: Null/10 (26 August 1999)

The Thin Red Line is the new war, or anti-war film by director Terrence Malick. I liked "Badlands" which was his first film, but was amateur, and "Days of heaven" was meandering. This film takes a different route on the theme "War is hell" not at all like this year's other war companion, "Saving Private Ryan". This film does not show the atrocities of war through battle and carnage, but through humanity and different perspectives. The setting is in Guadalcanal during WWII and how the soldiers have to battle the Japanese and stick together and hold a key-positioned airfield. The movie studies each character and his worries or inspirations to survive the war. The problem with the film is that it takes many serious viewings to understand it. The narration, though very annoying and almost all southern, sparks out the pity and suffering of war. Why does it happen, who's doing this? All these questions that no one can answer become monotonous after a while, but still remain curiously interesting. At some of the most brilliant and crucial points of the film, they are interrupted by narration. There shouldn't be any; we should be able to feel what the narrator is saying without him actually telling us. The movie also runs long at times, losing the attention, but it is like a commitment. There are also way too many pop-up cameos which takes the viewer off the story at times. There shouldn't be so many familiar faces. That serves as almost a distraction from the whole film. Aside from these flaws, this is undeniably one of the best films of the year. The battle scenes are realistic and superbly done. The scene where the soldiers massacre the Japanese is harrowing, frightening, yet very humane. The acting is great all-around, especially by Nick Nolte and newcomer Jim Caviezel. The Kubrick-like cinematography is breath-taking, and this is one of the best music scores I've heard in a long time by Hans Zimmer. The film takes, like I said before, many viewings to fully understand it. Now I can't stop renting it. I'm waiting for the DVD and might even consider seeing it for the 6th time tomorrow. A thought-provoking, interesting, memorable experience. Worth a rent.