A breathtaking, different kind of war movie

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2011)

Released in 1998, the same year as blockbuster "Saving Private Ryan", "The Thin Red Line" was doomed from the get-go. If you're looking for the bigger names, be it actors or director, or want to see fast paced action, or even just the plain old high budget Hollywood war movie, this is not it. Everyone else is welcomed into this different kind of film, which some say isn't even a proper war movie. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is true that "The Thin Red Line" approaches the topic from an entirely different angle, or from multiple angles to be precise. Malick highlights lives, struggles, hopes and dreams of various people, helps us look through their eyes of what transpires on the battlefield and how it reflects on them and their relationships to those who share their unreal experiences.
But it's not just the soldiers who play major roles in what transpires on screen, it's nature itself which is there and prominently so, it is always there, regardless of what gruesome deeds man decides to commit in its very heart. Sky, clouds, winds, grasses, animals, plants, man, the latter is just one of those things, a part of it, a necessity or a burden, judge yourself. Maybe there is even a subtle point somewhere as well when we see big names like Travolta and Clooney cast yet appearing only for one or two minutes or so. They are not important. But this film is.