Rating: 
Summary: My favorite war film.
Review: "Thin Red Line" is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Sure, It's not as gory as "Saving Private Ryan", it's not as violently realistic as "Ryan",it's not as fast-paced as "Ryan", and it didn't make nearly as much money as "Ryan" did, but it had things that "Ryan" didn't have.
Like,for example, "Thin Red Line" had a lot more character development than "Ryan", "Thin Red Line" centered more on the men and how the war affected them, emotionally. While "Ryan" centered more on the realism of the voilence.That's one of the reasons that I liked "Thin Red Line" better than "Ryan".
I also liked how "Thin Red Line" had beautiful cinematography, such as the forests and the wildlife.Some say that "Thin Red Line" was to boring,I highly disagree, I felt that it was realistic by being slow, because when people are in war they don't fight 24-7, there are boring times.So I think it added a more realistic touch to the film. I was a little disapointed that the majority of the cast listed on the cover don't have more than 15 minutes of screen-time. Jim Caviezel does an excellent job as the optimistic Private Witt.And Elias Koteas does a fine job too.I was also ticked off when I eagerly watched the Academy awards to see if "Thin Red Line" would win any oscars, I figured it would win atleast one, considering it had 7 nominations.I was wrong, it got snubbed for all seven nominations. As for the special features, there is not much. Not even a trailer. But I am glad that Fox left it in widescreen, and didn't pan-and-scan it.The picture quality is awesome, the colors are so vibrant,crisp, and clear. I wish Fox would release the 6-hour long cut, but considering that Fox doesn't usually do much to their non-mega-blockbuster films, I doubt we'll see it any time soon.Overall, I was disapointed that there were no real special features (except for some "Melanesian songs"), but since "Thin Red Line" is such a good film, I can forgive Fox."Thin Red Line" is a solid buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed but fascinating
Review: "Saving Private Ryan" was of course the better war movie of 1998, but "The Thin Red Line" is more ambitious and far-reaching. At nearly three hours, there are periods where the movie does drag, and at times, the plot (if it can be considered as such) seems to lack a focus. But the performances (Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, and John Travolta come to mind) range from good to even better, and the film is stunningly photographed. Admittedly, this film is a triumph of style over substance, and the film's ambitions far outreach its abilities, but it's nonetheless a movie that warrants your attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst war movie ever made!!
Review: When the movie ended, the crowded theater was silent. I'm not sure it was because they were mesmerized at the message or silently fuming to themselves muttering "what a colossal disappointment".....I think it was the latter, because that's what I was thinking.
Other than a great performance by Nick Nolte (and even Woody Harrelson, who I can't stand in other movies), this movie was a waste of time. Too long of a movie + bad character development + the worst philosophical mumbo jumbo EVER placed on a film (hey, we know war destroys nature since it was stated like 2 hundred times {exaggeration}.
Over-rated movie. Giving it even a one star out of ten shows sympathy. Watch it if you need to cure insomnia or you want to get mad at a film.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most beautiful war experiences ever put on film.
Review: The Thin Red Line is a war drama that reached inside me like no other film in 1998. It made realise the true horrors of war, like missing people and regretting killing enemies. The characters are so soulful, developed and well played-out it'll bring a tear to your eye. The acting is brilliant from the mostly-male all-star cast. Sean Penn is strong and stunning, John Cusack is very convincing and Nick Nolte is angry, loud but somehow we see through to his good heart. But it is the brilliant Elias Koteas who takes the cake in The Thin Red Line. His performance is indescribable. A true performance to be cherished, and we rarely get such a strong young actor to bring up such a magnificent portrayal of a man going through a rough time. We don't see enough of George Clooney, unfortunately, but his extended cameo is still surprisingly memorable. There are a lot of excellent things about this war movie, but Terrence Malick's amazing direction truly wins us over. This man hasn't made a movie in 20 years and he has come back with this love-it-or-hate it flick that most of the world enjoyed to the fullest. This is mostly due to Malick's brilliant control over the movie and handling his task with absolute calmness and sureness that it'll do well. Kudos to you. The sound and editing are all fabulous and the cinematography is breathtaking. The score is also very powerful and captures the movies beautiful brutality. Overall, this is one of the best and most beautiful war films to ever be put on screen. The Thin Red Line is unique and special and a stunningly shot flick that I am sure I will never forget.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: Yes, this is my second review for this movie, not only because I have some more things to say, but I also read some other reviewers thoughts and would like to comment on them too. I am sick and tired of comparing this to Saving Private Ryan, which is just an average remake of Seven Samurai with a nicely photographed D-Day sequence. People critisize this movie for the reason that there is no plot. That none of the characters are allowed to develop. Well, here it goes... The plot is nonimportent, as are the characters. The movie is one big emotion. What matters are the images we see, the words we hear. We see faces, hear names be barked out, but none of them matter. Malick approaches the characters as one. All of the characters are part of one soul, one face. They all represent the thoughts that come to our mind. Furthermore, the emotion belongs to Malick, who tried to approach the movie as objectively as possible, and mostly succeeded. Instead of finding enemies and heros, Malick shows us that no man is one alone, but both. It certainly isn't cliche. For Heaven's sake, stop saying that this movie is historically incorrect. That's not even the point of the movie, and those who believe the biased/prejudiced truthes of the directors perceptions are idiots. Cinema can be realistic, yet it's truth is something that is subjectiv, as is truth in general. For those patriots who keep saying that this movie feels sorry for the Japanese and makes the Americans evil- the movie makes modern world evil, a useless evil done for nothing. We are presented with good and beauty in the form of the islanders we encounter in the beginning of the movie. Better said, we are given the description of good as in culture. Or even better, emotion. Which is why I love this movie, because it defends what I defend: There is no fact, there are no trues, except in our emotions, because we feel them. Fear, Love, Greed, Passion, they are the only trues that can be disputed by us alone. They are not supposed "historical facts" that change from person to person, that are exposed to our interpretations. Perhaps the movie is too long, yet I watched it breathlessly, just flowing with Hans Zimmer's haunting music and John Toll's beautiful cinematography. You could consider the poetic license of the movie to be pretentious, yet that too is a personal decision. I loved them, for the fact that they are just sad and beautiful. Espacially Ben Chaplin's strike me as subtle and a great companionto his surreal flashbacks. I do not consider emotions to be banal. Then you will say why I considered Pearl Harbor banal. That I cannot explain. I see grace, beauty, horror in this picture. I feel for it. The other I cannot connect to, lacks grace, intelligence and subtlety.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie!
Review: Wow, over 600 reviews on this movie, why add my voice? Anyways, I really enjoyed this movie, more than I anticipated. It started out extremely slow, and that pace continued on thru most of the movie, except for that battle scenes. But that slow pace added something interesting to the movie. The only movie I really can compare this with is "Pork Chop Hill". A lot of reviewers compared this to "Saving Private Ryan", but to me, this movie is about the absolute futility of war, which is the same tone projected in "Pork Chop Hill". At one point, you've even got one soldier standing up in the lull battle, screaming "it's futile" and just asking for the reason. The philosophy of the characters is somewhat weak, but know that all the questions raised can be answer in The Bible. Call me an evangelist or whatever, but there was hardly any mention of God in this movie, just mere half-hearted reflections. The music is great, and the native chants are worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: Beauty is only skin deep
Review: I really wanted to love this film and fully expected to do so after all the rave reviews. Unfortunately despite all it's visual impact the lasting impression is disappointing. The intention was clearly not to make a typical action packed war movie although some of the battle scenes are indeed gripping. This a film which looks at the relationships between oridnary solidiers who could die at any moment and the different motivations which enable them to survive the horror that surrounds them. To this end the film is partly successful but the cod philosphising of the characters (in the form of narration) is less inspiring than irritating. All too often, the underlying themes are spelled out in a rather clumsy way rather than allowing room for the audience to fill in the gaps. The film is however almost saved by it's quite breathtaking look. Clearly, this is visual direction and camerwork at it's best and the sheer beauty of the images is enough to distratct from the often plodding pace. The troops crawl through rustling dense grass that is the colour of emerald and the contrast between the heavenly setting and the hell taking place within it is indeed effective. The cast includes a suprising number of star names in small roles and their minimal screen time re-inforces the impression of the transient nature of intense relationships between troops in combat. The all round excellent performances of the cast together with the many powerful images almost suceed in lifting the whole film to the level of greatness but sadly not quite.
Rating:
Summary: Not a chick flick
Review: Any one who served in the tropics knows how close to the mark this film is. No, you won't see mindless pap about email love lines or some dopey braindead stuff about what hollywood wants us to think gangsters are. This is the real stuff. Go see it or rent it.
Rating:
Summary: not emotionally manipulative
Review: "Thin Red Line is a documentary that lacks punch," says my sister. A movie-freak acquintance labels Thin Red Line "boring, never-ending, repetative". Truth is A)either these people could not understand the theme of the movie or B) they were unaware of the philosophical aspect or worse still C) they did not care for the world. I thought "Thin Red Line" was a movie about life, love, bond, and fear(e.g, of committing crimes, of making mistakes, losing faith, losing friends and family, and even God and of course of death). One of the reasons why many people *couldn't follow* (I won't say DIDN'T LIKE) the movie was because, they didn't listen to the words, they didn't see the facial expressions, they didn't watch their(the soldiers)eyes, they didn't............ they couldn't feel what the soldiers were feeling, they couldn't follow their breathing pattern. Meditation surely comes into play here. I think I've seen this movie thrice already. And I will see it many more times. If you are into commercial blockbusters "The Thin Red Line" is not for you. I know you will argue and say, "...well, I liked Saving Private Ryan but I don't like *TTRL*". But remember, there is a big difference. Saving Private Ryan revolves around a small story in a huge war. The Thin Red Line concept is much bigger because it deals with life/war and how we look at it. Whats common? Conflict. They both talk about conflicts but of different nature. Saving Private Ryan is direct and gloomy and forces you to cry. The Thin Red Line is beyond, endlessly trageic and allows you to feel it for yourself. Chances are you'll cry but it's more intuitive. It's not emotionally manipulative. People reading this review might be conclusive and think I'm dissolved into philosophical 'mumbo jumbo'. May be. But I also find Chris Rock funny! Don't take me wrong, okay? There are different aspects to life and it's all good.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty Is Skin Deep
Review: After looking at the majority of the reviews on show, I began to feel that, as with most people reviewing films, they try to outhink, or catch out the directors with thought deeper than the Mariana Trench. This is one of my favourite films, because of the impression that it left on me when I finished viewing it. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful, so on the surface this film leaves an indelible impression. Another major plus of this film is the fact that it doesn't follow any Hollywood cliches in terms of character development. This is totally refreshing as the subjects are no longer predictably stalwart or weak. For example, Elias Koteas' character would normally be sabotaging his men's lives by following blatantly wrong orders or killing himself amidst a fanfare of hollywood glory. Basically if you would like to watch a beautifully concieved film with an interesting plot and sublime performances from Nick Nolte and Sean Penn then see this film, because it really is a work of art.
|
