Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful War Film
Review: I get so disgusted with movie watchers who just want to watch a film and not have a single thought process while doing so. For many who saw The Thin Red Line, they were disappointed (particularly because they were anticipating another Saving Private Ryan.) This film is not meant to be like other war films which reveal the gritty, fearful plights of soldiers. And when I saw The Thin Red Line I was overwhelmed by the originality and complexity of it. This film goes to the next level of war stories. Each soldier has a different story to tell. War is deeper than gun battles and bloodshed, and this film shows emotion and all aspects of men who were thrown into a chaotic, foreign, unknown world.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much taaaaaaaaaaalking
Review: This mostly-(over)praised movie is typical of the new (American?) tendency to kill and agonize at the same time. Though this may be the politically correct thing to do, it sure makes for a dull war flick.
Although long, it seems endless, and many a times did I find myself glancing (and more) at the newspaper during the showing.
The director should definitively have adhered to the eternal dictum heard in Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" - IF YOU WANNA SHOOT, SHOOT, DON'T TALK!
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing, Overdramatic War Film
Review: "Thin Red Line" is like "Saving Private Ryan" on crack. It tries hard to be artistic and dramatic, but just fails on all points. I am not too familiar with the film maker, and while I acknowledge he obviously has a career behind him, I can't say I was too impressed with what I saw here. The opening of the film shows Sean Penn hanging around with some black people. There are random shots of them swimming underwater and having random bursts of laughter...then we cut to the Battle of Guadacanal. We don't really know who the hell these people are or why we should care about them, but we're immediately pushed into the movie with them any way. Oh yeah, and John Travolta is a two star general. Any one else see a problem with that? Any who, Nick Nolte plays a rather cliche officer, although the sad truth is he's one of the most competant characters in the movie, even if the movie wants to portray him as a mad commander. When the enemy is on the run, you don't stop to eat, you pursue them. Its simple military strategy. If you study history, you'll find whenever one army stopped to rest after an astounding victory, it gave their enemy enough time to regroup and counterattack. The battle scenes, I'll agree, are well done, with one exception. On the final attack on the bunker...do we really need to see the main character paw his wife? The flashback of her swinging upside down was bad enough. The movie also tends to drag. It doesn't stop at the bunker fight, it drags out until one of the other characters gets killed and then...it just ends. It has some really whiny "Boo hoo war is bad" narration, but its preachy tone just makes it sound like a campy attempt at making a social message. It could have been a better movie if I could have actually known why I should be sad if characters get killed off, but characterization is poor and there's virtually no real storyline. Sorry, this film just does not deliver.
Rating:
Summary: Thin red line: A classic still in progress
Review: I remember quite well the simultanious release of 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Thin Red Line' in 98. I watched them back to back. Back then, I was still very young and semi-educated when it comes to watching film. That is why I had more appreciation for Private Ryan in my youthful years. I shocked me and I loved it. And with 'Thin Red Line', I fell asleep halfway through. But what an idiot I were!! There is no comparison. Thin Red Line is such a beautiful crafted film. O.K., maybe the action sequences were a bit ordinary, but that is not of real importance in the film. Terrence Malick is a genius, not like Spielberg, a machine. He has a greater understanding of man. Why he doesn't make more films I honestly don't know. He's very similiar to Kubrick.
This film will eventually become a classic. It is too good to be ignored forever. Best war movie of all time? I think so
Rating:
Summary: Come Back Terrence!...Come Back!
Review: This review refers to the Fox War Classics DVD edition of "The Thin Red Line" "The Thin Red Line" is already a five year old film that still has the reviews pouring in. Some love it, some hate it, some give it a luke warm reception. One thing is clear, it is a film that people are STILL talking about. As of this writing, the number of reviews here are closing in on 800. You can count me among those who think this is one of the most beautifully and artfully made stories of war on film. In 1998 we were lucky enough to have two of the most talented directors in Hollywood bring us two very different but equally
fine films dedicated to the men who served in WWII. "Saving Private Ryan" directed by Steven Spielberg was a beautiful tribute and a wonderful film and rightly deserved all the nods it recieved from Oscar that year."The Thin Red Line" also, with seven well earned nominations has a style all of it's own. I saw it as more of an intense character study than an action film, which of course is definitve of director Terrence Malick. So you don't have to take sides..it's okay to love them both..I do! While "SPR" takes place in the Europe, this one focuses on the war in the Pacific.(another good reason to watch both of them)
"Charlie" company is brought into the battle of Guadalcanal. Many are young, all will soon experience the horrors of war.The story not only focuses on the combat with the Japanese, but very much on the thoughts, fears, and bonding the soldiers are all going through. I felt this film depicted both of these aspects as well as "Apocalypse Now" and "Das Boot". The film is packed with wonderful actors and big stars. I imagine that when Hollywood got wind that the elusive Terrence Malick would be directing again, the phone wires were burning with their people calling his people! The cast includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte,Woody Harrelson,George Clooney, Adrien Brody, John Cusak,Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, John C. Reilly and Elias Koteas as Capt Staros. Even Johnny Travolta makes an appearance. For the most part, even with this big cast we get to know the characters pretty well, all though there were a few I would have liked to spend a little more time with.The music by Hans Zimmer, as always will cast a spell on you and the photography by John Toll is so exquiste I got lost in it's beauty. Terrence Malick has not made many films. When he does you can count on something really special like "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven". He has a gift for fine filmmaking. It appears he may be gifting us with another film possibly in 2005 based on the life of Che Guevara, with Benicio Del Toro slated to star..We can only hope.... "Fox War Classic" has done a superb job in presenting this film on DVD. The picture is gorgeous with lush colors and crystal clarity in anamorphic widescreen(Aspect Ratio 2.35:1). If your sound system has DTS capabilities, try it, I was awed by both the sounds of war and the music. You also have the choice of Dolby Dig 5.1 or Surround sound. There are subtitles in English and Spanish. There are no special features on this edition(wouldn't it have been nice to have an interview with Mr. Malick?), but nearly 3 hours of captivating viewing. It does come with a little booklet that has some background info on the stars. If you havn't seen this film yet, I would suggest renting it first as there are very strong opinions of this film and you may decide for yourself. If you have seen it, know you like it and are thinking of buying the DVD..you cannot go wrong(espically at this great price). Why this film recieved 7 nominations but not one statue(the cinematography at least was deserving) is a mystery to me. Enjoy this fine film......Laurie
Rating:
Summary: This movie is so well filmed;
Review: most people are not ready to fear for their lives, and tend to think of the moments of distraction and daydreaming in the film as the DP or director missing their mark. They couldn't be more wrong. These scenes are critical to development of the main characters. Anyone who views the film as a distraction, as entertainment, would probably get tired of it's disjointed scenes. TO someone who fears being in a trench, fears having bullets fired at him, fears rotting anonymously, it's a story worth telling. This film scares the excrement right out of me. These men are seconds away from becoming unidentified body parts. they are human, they're scared, the events are harrowing, and to reflect that, the cinematography is neither slow nor ponderous it's appropriately surreal. I used to think that "Saving Private Ryan" was untouchable as a war film. Now i realize that it may have a bigger production budget, but nothing save "All Quiet on the Western Front" or something equally honest, can touch "Thin Red Line" with a ten foot stick. War is not glorious. It is not fun. it's just fear and chaos.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE FILM!
Review: "The Thin Red Line" fails at everything except battle scenes, the only reason I gave it a second star! There were too many stories, and the stories were acted and directed like a horrible High School play! A boring piece of cinema! Skip this garboage, and watch superb war films like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Gods and Generals!" Grade: D-
Rating:
Summary: WAKE UP!! THIS IS NOT AN ACTION MOVIE!!
Review: I can hardly believe the level of stupidity and ignorance out there. Anyone calling this movie "slow," "boring," "worthless" or, especially, "leftist propaganda" (say no more, my friend!) should, in my opinion, stick to reviewing mainstream "war is darn suspenceful" [material] like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Windtalkers."
This is a film of such depth, artistry and brilliance it should be considered not only one of the greatest films of all time but also one of the greatest works of 20th century art.
To say this film is simply bleating that old "war is hell" cliche is to miss ENTIRELY all of its many levels and themes.
The film is about a great many things. It is about man's constant battle between the tendency toward good and evil, creation and destruction and faith and hopelessness. It is about the ancient, incomprehensible grace of nature and its resilence. It is about the joy of love in all of its forms and man's constant search for wholeness when every moment we are becoming more and more disconnected.
To those who don't get it: Look a little closer. To miss the point of this movie is quite simply to miss an opportunity to ponder the mystery of man, nature and life itself.
Rating:
Summary: Viet nam plot Leftist agenda
Review: I was stoked about this movie after Private ryan came out, however I was seriously disapointed. The plot is reminicent of an anti war viet nam movie, and is slow and redundent. We get the picture that war is hell, but I feel the mood of the era, and the attitudes of the men were completely off base. This was a just war, we were attacked and we had a real purpose, but that was never depicted. This is Liberal propaganda at it's finest. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Get a classic like iwo or even wind talkers. I am a world war two history buff, and I am ashamed that an American wrote this sorry excuce for a script! What a disgrace.
Rating:
Summary: a beautifully shot philosophical war movie
Review: Based on Terrence Malick's past track record what were people expecting? Saving Private Ryan 2? No way. Malick has always followed his own muse and does so with the skill of a master filmmaker with his "adaptation" of The Thin Red Line. Malick uses the book as a starting point, a springboard for which to launch his own thematically pre-occupations -- mostly to do with man's struggle with his environment. TRL shows that even while we are killing each other off, nature will still survive and continue on regardless if we are still around to see it. Malick also explores the duality of man -- the killing instinct vs. the introspective philosopher. I think that what really angered people was that the advertising campaign promoted all these big Hollywood stars: John Travolta, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, etc. and then Malick relegated them to cameos. Instead, you have then unknowns like James Caviezel and Nick Stahl in major roles with reliable veterans like Nick Nolte and Sean Penn backing them up. Also, if you blink you might miss Adrien Brody's tiny role. Supposedly, he was originaly touted as one of the leads but Malick cut his role back significantly in the editing room. Above all else, this is an absolutely stunning film to look at. The cinematography is gorgeous and really creates an atmospheric world that is rich and textured. The DVD's top notch transfer and stunning DTS audio track also contribute greatly to enveloping the viewer into Malick's world. If you like challenging war films then this is definitely worth a look. If you don't like to think when watching a movie then avoid this one like the plague. TRL wrestles with some pretty weighty themes and issues that will leave you thinking (and talking about it) long after the end credits roll.
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