Visually stunning, but lacking coherence

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 1999)

I was anxious to see "the Thin Red Line" because of what I had read about it, but was glad that I went in prepared. I enjoyed many aspects of this movie. It tells a sweeping story: the American attack on the Japanese-held island of Guadalcanal, over a period of days. It swings between the big picture and powerful vignettes in which the thoughts of individual soldiers are shown and told to the viewer. Some of these performances are brilliant, particularly those of Ben Chaplin, Woody Harrelson and John Cusack. Others seem stupid, like that of John Travolta. The movie shows aspects of war that I had never seen before: the beauty of the landscape before the human violence begins, the combination of training and chaos that is an attack, and the emotional aftermath, when the enemy has surrendered and some soldiers cry while others explode into violence. There were scenes that I will not soon forget. But overall, someone should have edited this movie so that it was shorter, less wandering and generally more focused. I do recommend the film - but be prepared for its length.