World War II Soldiers as Walk-Ons in the Theater of War

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2004)

THE THIN RED LINE (TTRL), writer/director Terrence Malick's Oscar-nominated World War II drama based on James Jones' book, is notable not only for its introspective approach to its subject, but also as the film that was initially supposed to make Adrien Brody a star in his pre-PIANIST days. Brody trained at boot camp for his portrayal of Cpl. Fife (the character based on James Jones himself) and was hyped to the skies as Hollywood's Next Big Thing. No sooner was Brody included on the cover of VANITY FAIR Magazine's 1998 Hollywood issue than he discovered that many of his scenes, chiefly those involving dialogue, wound up on the cutting room floor. I got the feeling that Brody wasn't the only TTRL cast member victimized by the editing process, though. While Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, and Jim Caviezel have substantial screen time as the audience gets to see and hear their thoughts, the rest of the all-star/star-to-be cast come across as extras in their own movie, with everybody from John Cusack to John Travolta to Nick Nolte to George Clooney (among many others) getting one or two memorable scenes at most and then moving right along. Perhaps that's Malick's point; maybe he's saying that combat dehumanizes men until they're just walk-ons and bit players in the theater of war. This might also explain why most of TTRL's characters have one-syllable names that soon start to sound alike: Welsh, Whyte, Witt, Fife, Gaff, Tall, Tills, Bell, Doll... Indeed, as the soldiers of Charlie Company become increasingly filthy and exhausted during their traumatic tour of duty in Guadalcanal (some of it filmed on location), it gets increasingly difficult to tell one from the other. As my husband Vin and I played "Spot the Adrien," Vin kept thinking he saw him because, as he said, "It's like everyone in this movie has thick eyebrows and big noses!" Once you actually spot Brody in TTRL, however, it's hard to forget him, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan of the man. While Brody doesn't say a word until the final reel (Vin and I were amazed: "Finally! Brody speaks!" :-), his expressive face and eyes and his considerable screen presence make up for his lost dialogue as he hovers anxiously in the background; Brody haunts the film like The Ghost of War Past, Present, & Future. You'd think they'd release a special-edition DVD with Brody's cut scenes, now that he's an Oscar-winning star! :-) Even if you're not on the lookout for your favorite actors, TTRL dazzles the eye and touches the soul with imagery that is at once grim and poetically beautiful, as well as poignant Melanesian native music that acts as a moving counterpoint to the soldiers' ordeals. If you're looking for rock-'em-sock-'em action and people getting blown up real good, you may find yourself getting impatient at TTRL's leisurely pace and 170-minute running time, but if you like your war movies intelligent and thought-provoking, TTRL is worth renting.