Embodiment of the IDEA of war...

Rating: Null/10 (18 January 2002)

When I first saw The Thin Red Line in the theater, I was overwhelmed by it's photography and ambiance, but was suspect of whether or not I had actually been told a story. Upon subsequent viewings, I realized that I had not been told a story, but had in fact been asked to experience some of the feelings felt by those in combat during WWII. It is not a popular notion that an American soldier would show fear in the face of his enemy, but that must occur in some men (and women) during a battle. Malick did not hand us our story complete with Cliff's Notes on how to respond (a la Spielberg), but allowed us to be taken into a situation that most of his audience members would never know otherwise: the moment just before a fight, the waiting, the instant of awareness after just being shot. These are not things that an actor can fully express to us. Knowing this, Malick has augmented these moments through photography, expression and silence. To me, The Thin Red Line is a meditation on the idea of war, rather than a representation of it.