**1/2 (out of ****)

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 1999)

Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" is a beautifully shot film... that's it. Because of the enormous popularity of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," it would be impossible not to compare the two war pictures of 1998. That being said, Malick's picture is far inferior to Spielberg's:
CHARACTERS -- [TTRL]: Poorly developed and easily forgotten by the end. No one had their "own" voice... only one: Malick's. [SPR]: Everyone was VERY convincing. The actors' pre-shoot boot camp really paid off onscreen.
CINEMATOGRAPHY -- [TTRL]: Nice things to look at... showed us the terrors in Guadalcanal, WWII. [SPR]: Striking things to look at... made us FEEL the terror at Omaha Beach, D-Day.
EDITING -- [TTRL]: Too scattered. [SPR]: Tightly paced.
DRAMATIC SCORE -- [TTRL]: Driving at times, but distracting most of the time. [SPR]: Beautifully used at the APPROPRIATE times.
SCREENPLAY -- [TTRL]: Again, not one character had his own voice... everyone had only one: the director's. [SPR]: Dialogue was a bit trite at times, but the feelings of the film were magnificently expressed through all the action.
Bottom line: "The Thin Red Line" is a BIG disappointment.