Poetic and philosophical nature clearly sets it apart from other war movies

Rating: 7/10 (30 August 2009)

From a title, that comes from a poem by Rudyard Kipling, to the opening voice-over to the all-star cast, the poetic and philosophical nature of The Thin Red Line clearly sets it apart from other war moves.
The closing lines carry the essence of this gritty conflict: "This great evil. Where does it come from? How'd it steal into the world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who's doin' this? Who's killin' us? Robbing us of life and light. Mockin' us with the sight of what we might've known. Does our ruin benefit the earth? Does it help the grass to grow, the sun to shine? Is this darkness in you, too? Have you passed to this night?" Brief appearances by an all-star cast mark this movie as something special. Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, John C. Reilly and John Travolta all make brief appearances.
Though Woody Harrelson and Nick Nolte give powerful performances, to see James Caviezel's incredible angelic demeanor is know why he was cast as Jesus in Mel Gobson's The Passion of the Christ.
Yet this story is not a WWII Pulp Fiction. It is more Apocalypse Now meets Flags of Our Fathers. As such, its dreary poetic nature is likely to remain with the viewer long after its green on green jungle fighting scenes. 7/23/2009