Number 2 of my All-Time Top Five War Flicks

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2001)

... Behind only Apocalypse Now.
This was just an outstanding film that I believe hit the big screen at an inopportune time. This one came out in the fall of 98, after Saving Private Ryan had torn apart the box office all that summer. For that reason, I fear that the two movies will be sewn together and compared to one another for longer than they should. This movie WAS NOT Saving Private Ryan. They dealt with very different, very specific issues about war.
The Thin Red Line, unlike Spielberg's "war hero" epic, was more about the personal, specific struggles of the men in combat. It was much more clearly a novel adaptation, with a number of moving, introspective monologues. Whereas SPR made you *feel* the reality of being in the infantry, TRL moved you to tears with a glimpse inside the minds of the men and the boys.
Terrence Malick brilliantly directed an intriguing ensemble which featured America's first real look at James Caviezel. The only thing I disliked about the casting was that some of the bigger-name actors appeared to be typecast (Nick Nolte, George Clooney come to mind right away). On par or perhaps even beyond the accomplishment of the director was that of cinematographer John Toll, who painted a very beautiful and very real picture of the South Pacific in WWII.
If you, like me, consider yourself to be "war movie buff," you've probably already seen and enjoyed this picture. If you're just getting into them, you should definitely take a look at a film I'd consider to be not only one of the best, but one of the most important war movies of the last 20 years.
ps - The rest of my Top Five War Movies? 1. Apocalypse Now 2. The Thin Red Line 3. Bridge on the River Kwai 4. Platoon 5. M*A*S*H