Should have won Best Picture

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2002)

I didn't see this movie until long after it actually came out. When I watched the Oscars, I was rooting for Saving Private Ryan to win. I had no idea how much better The Thin Red Line would be. This is one of the most realistic war movies ever, right up there with Full Metal Jacket (which is high praise indeed, as I was a US Marine myself and can vouch for FMJ's authenticity). The cinematography is probably in the top 5 or 10 EVER. Some of the shots in this movie nearly floored me. John Toll is easily one of the very best DP's in the world. Malick did an incredible job writing and directing this masterpiece. And he got an excellent performance out of all his actors, too. Nick Nolte was absolutely incredible. This has to be one of his best performances ever. He should have received an Oscar nomination. Caviezel, Penn (no surprise here), Chaplin, and Koteas were all outstanding. Cusack really did a tremendous job with the small role that he had, too. This movie had probably one of my favorite casts ever. Whoever put this cast together should get an award if they haven't already. The score was also top notch, as was the sound effects and top-notch editing job. If I was in charge of the Oscars, this movie would have swept the Oscars, not that contrived, pretentious, and poorly written Shakespeare in Love. Being a prior service member helps in appreciating how good The Thin Red Line really is; I'm not sure everyone really understands it, as evidenced by the very unrealistic and horribly written Black Hawk Down's (aka Pearl Harbor 2) undeservedly higher IMDB rating. I immediately went out and bought the DVD after watching The Thin Red Line for the first time. The poetry, philosophy, and political messages won't appeal to all, but I thought the movie was near-perfect. I've watched all the great war movies (Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Bridge on the River Kwai, ect.), and am quite particular about realism and quality of movies I watch from this particular genre. And The Thin Red Line is probably my favorite.