Rating: 
Summary: A great war movie
Review: To say that this is a less that brilliant war movie simply because it lacks battle scenes, as so many people do, misses the point entirely. Ninety-nine per cent of a soldier's life is drudgery. Even in combat the vast majority of time is spent wandering around scared stiff in anticipation of an ambush. When battle starts, confusion reigns. To say that this movie starts slow and doesn't make sense, as one viewer below did, captures the very essence of war. Yes, the movie was slower than Private Ryan, and lacked the trite "God bless America" images so overbearing in the opening and closing scenes of that movie, but it was nonetheless an outstanding film, and perhaps even more realistic than Private Ryan. They are two brilliant, but very different movies. I have a hard time naming one the best. Both are essential viewing.
Rating: 
Summary: (The grass. The alligator lizard.)
Review: Why does Nature contend with itself? (The tree of many branches.) Why is there evil in the world? (Bird with broken wing. Wing. Broken.) OK, we'll be silent for a while and light matches in a supreme, desultory fashion. . . .Hm, now back to the fighting On The Hill. (The Hill. The Hill. Grass on the Hill.) Transpose to natives, beautiful and unrealistic in their innocence. See how we ruin everything? Why can't life be a beach party? (the wife - on the swing) "WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS HILL BY NIGHTFALL!" (Inexplicable cameos by overfed Hollywood "superstars".) Sean Penn doesn't look happy. Drinking on leave. Helicopters. Cigarettes. Yes. (The Wife. The Wife. On a Swing.) Life is Bad; should be Better. (Snake in a tree branch! Alligator Descending Into Murky Depths!) Finally, a silent Non-ending on a boat. (First, the waves of Grass; now, Ocean Waves.) What Happened? Look into your Soul. . . . Similar musings and cheap visual symbols that pass for depth are to be found in the motion picture entitled "The Thin Red Line". (The Gator Descends.) Darren W.
Rating: 
Summary: More like The Thin Red Malick
Review: Now why on earth would The Thin Red Line be nominated for all those Academy Awards including Best Picture? I'm sure the Academy knows well that this film had no chance competing against all the other movies being nominated. Well, at least it had a better chance than Elizabeth. After seeing such war epics like The Longest Day, When Trumpets Fade, and Steven Spielberg's incredible Saving Private Ryan, I don't think anyone would bother to see Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line. This was unlike any other war movie. Instead of it ending with a victory, it shows the soldiers from a losing point of view. I also didn't understand the flashbacks and the annoying narration. Hans Zimmer's musical score is executed well throughout the film, and the events are realistic as they should be. But overall, The Thin Red Line was poorly executed, mostly due to those wierd flashbacks and narration, which have nothing to do with liberating the island of Guadalcanal during WWII. Just like Titanic, this movie shows more of the director than the storyline and main characters, which makes The Thin Red Line not a worthy opponent against other warhorse films like Saving Private Ryan. A somewhat disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: beats Saving Private Ryan into the ground. why.......
Review: This is one of the greatest films of the 90's, one of the greatest war films ever made, and one of the greatest films ever made. While there are many pea-brains who write in saying that it is boring, it soon becomes obvious that they are the sort of people who think that Titanc and Saving Private Ryan are the best films ever made. I won't go into my thoughts on Titanic, for Titanic is so bad I won't waste space, but why is it that people think that SPR is better. SPR stereotypes Germans, is historically inaccurate and has a terrible script. The Thin Red Line is so poetic and realised, that it makes Saving Private Ryan look like amaateur filmaking. The fact that many of the people writing in dismissing The Thin Red Line for being 'boring', and praising SPR for its fighting and battles shows how incredibly voyeuristic and agressive these people are, but also indicates the extremely low standards they expect from films, or in words that these people will understand, thay have very bad taste.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Movie!
Review: Personally, I thought The Thin Red Line was one of the best movies I'd seen in a long time. It is truly a piece of art; Malick did a wonderful job! I don't know how some people found it boring. Let alone a spectacular cast, the poetic quality of the movie alone is worth seeing. However, you definitely can't be in a no-brainer mood for this one!
Rating:
Summary: I don't know what's wrong with you all
Review: What the ---- is wrong with you all? One star? If you only watched the first hour, it's sort of understandable. The first hour was, admittedly, very slow, and I wouldn't say it was the best hour of film-making. But the movie was great. You can't compare it to 'Saving Private Ryan.' 'Ryan' was a great movie, it had the best 30 minutes of film I've ever seen. But 'The Thin Red Line' was also a great movie. It's a thinking man's 'Saving Private Ryan.' The acting was great by everyone (esp. Jim Caviezel), and it shows the effects of war on a man better. You've got to be in the right mood to see it, that's true, but it's deserving of 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A total waste and disservice to American serviceman
Review: Boring, dull, stereotypical stuff we expect from the Hollywood anti-war elitists. Made our American heroes look like a bunch of sniveling cowards. Save your money, your sanity and your patriotism and stay away from this total waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: Stop whining and say something
Review: While you read the different reviews posted here at amazon.com, you will realize that most people either really loved or hated it. However, atleast the people who loved this film take the time to say why and give some input as to what is so special about it. The people who write negative reviews just bitch and complain about how long and boring it was. It seems like everyone's a wanna be Janet Maslin... let's find a clever way to say it was boring... oh, it cured my insomnia... NOBODY CARES! Also, people claim that the there was no point to the movie and everybody else who saw one was just grasping for something that wasn't there. It doesn't even occur to people that they didn't see it... No, everybody else must be wrong. Terrance Malick who has been working on this film for twenty years, went to Harvard and Oxford, and translates Heidegger is just a complete moron and didn't say anything with all the beauty and deep philosophy. I understand a small percent of what he is saying in his philosophy, but each time I watch it, I connect some of the philosophy to some of the action in the film, to something in my life and it has an affect on me. You don't have to be thickheaded not to understand this work, you just have to not be humble enough to accept the fact that you can't understand the entire thing. Somebody said that they are not too dumb to understand the movie and he/she saw that there was really nothing there. As evidence to his/her intelligence he/she stated that he/she has a pHd in molecular biology. What the hell does that have to do with being able to understand the Thin Red Line. In conclusion, if you just want to whine and complain about how boring this movie is, pleas, do it to your friends. This is not how you want your voice heard in the world. However, if you actually have a decent point, please makes one, I have yet to see a good negative one in response to this movie.
Rating:
Summary: This movie did not live up to its hype!
Review: This movie was a great disappointment, especially after watching "Saving Private Ryan." The movie starts off really slow and at times doesn't even make sense. It focused too much on the plight of the soldiers and had one too many flashbacks. I deeply respect the bravery and service that these young men went through for our country but this movie did not do them justice. Too long and too boring for my taste.
Rating: 
Summary: OH COME ON, BETTER THAN "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN"??
Review: I have to admit, the cinematography was well done and the film was beautiful. But this aint no war film. There's about twenty minutes of war battles through the 2 hour and 50 min. film and it just drags on and on until I want to be shot myself. This is isn't war, it's a National Geographic Special on the Rainforest. Saving Private Ryan is better, and it was recognized with 5 Academy Awards. TTRL won none. It does reflect on the film because Oscars stand for film excellence, and Saving Private Ryan had it. The horrific battle scenes and excellent score by Mr. John Williams. The Bottom Line on the Thin Red Line: It's too pretty to make a great war film. And it is very boring. The script is average. This is basically the script: a day-by-day account of World War II. Go rent Spielberg's masterpiece, Saving Private Ryan
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