The 2001 of War Films

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 1999)

After seeing The Thin Red Line I see why some reviewers have compared it to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both films are alike in that they transcend their respective genres. Many who saw 2001 back in 1968 where expecting to a science fiction film, but what they saw was so much more than just a space opera. What they got instead was as a meditation on the nature and destiny of mankind. It was a highly intellectual work of art that challenged its viewers to come up to its level of understanding. Many where not up to the challenge and where either confused or where alright hostile to the film. The same appears to be true of The Thin Red Line. It is much, much more than just a war movie. It is a meditation on the nature of human existence and of good and evil. It is a visually beautiful and intellectually challenging film, which is also being greated with confusion and outright hostiltiy. Some of the comments that are being made here on the IMDB are excellent examples of this confusion and hostility. As the years go by and the dust settles, I believe that The Thin Red Line will take its place alongside of 2001 and a handful of other films as being the best examples of the art form in the latter half of the 20th century.
If you just want to see a war movie, do not go see The Thin Red Line. If you believe that movies should be entertainment and not works of art, do not go see The Thin Red Line. If you do not like being intellectually challenged while watching a movie, do not go see The Thin Red Line. There are legions of other movies that will be more to your taste.