Rating: 
Summary: Wow...
Review: This is a beautiful and strangely moving film. In my opinion it beat the bejeezus out of Saving Private R. Why? Well, yes the set pieces in Saving Private Ryan are astonishing, but its center is told very conventionally and blandly. It shocked me to watch the battles, but it didn't stay with me. The Thin Red Line however is utterly haunting and lyrical, and rather disturbing. But it's not a conventional war movie and shouldn't be reviewed in those terms. Go elsewhere for typical blood and guts (although there certainly are some to be had). If you want something with a broader viewpoint, a more penetrating world view - check this out. Then rent Badlands...
Rating: 
Summary: Pretentious
Review: This is not movie in the normal sense of the word. It is instead a montage of loosely related vignettes vaguely based on the latter part of the Guadalcanal campaign. At least a third of it should have been left on the cutting room floor and the fact that three different editors couldn't knit the various pieces into a cohesive story is not surprising. The movie begins with a series of National Geographic scenes that portray the idyllic, peaceful, carefree and loving lifestyle of the Micronesion aborigines living on the island. This series of scenes is repeated ad nauseaum. Go to the bathroom, cook some microwave popcorn and when you return the director is still hammering home whatever cryptic point he hopes to make. This portends the crude and heavy-handed approach to story telling seen in the rest of the film. This is a Big Message movie. However, it remains to the end entirely unclear what that message is or what those messages are. Do we care about or identify with any character? No. Does one scene logically lead to another? No. Do all of the internal monologues and flashbacks tell us anything important? Beats me. The plot, if there is one, can be best described as "stuff happens". We are treated to the longest reaction shots in the history of modern cinema. It is not enough to cut to the face of frightened soldier in battle. No. We must interminably dwell upon it until our fingers begin to twitch on the fast forward button. Time to take a leak or forage in the refrigerator. You will still have the reaction shot on screen when you return to watch the rest of this wretched movie. On the bright side, boring and pretentious though it may be, Thin Red Line is beautifully photographed. Still images from it would have made a great coffee table book or slide show. Nevertheless, it is, perhaps, the worst big budget, big talent movie I have ever seen. A last footnote: over 1,000 Japanese prisoners were taken during the Guadalcanal campaign. Japanese propoganda and indoctrination would see to it that this would never happen again. Attrition to the last man was all they had left to encourage a negotiated settlement. This is one of the few things the movie got historically right.
Rating: 
Summary: Profoundly Moving Visual Poetry
Review: I think the most important thing to understand-- and the most important opinion I can offer about this film-- is that THIS IS NOT A WAR MOVIE! Yes, The Thin Red Line has some blood, guts and portrayals of the horrors of war, but that's really secondary to the core of the film. If you're looking for a "Great War Movie," DON'T buy this one. It will bore you to tears-- as others here have gone to some trouble to point out-- there is no "plot" centered around a battle, heroic soldiers or "The Glory of War." IF that's what you're looking for, I would recommend "Platoon" or "Full Metal Jacket" instead, or maybe "Saving Private Ryan," to which this movie is often-- but mistakenly-- compared. "The Thin Red Line" is reclusive director Terrence Malick's exquisite visual masterpiece loosely set around the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II in the Pacific Arena. I say "loosely" because that statement is a bit like calling Forrest Gump "some flick about a retarded guy." It is perhaps unfortunate that Malick did not adhere to historic accuracy-- but also forgiveable since the "war" theme is merely a backdrop, and historical accuracy is relatively irrelevant to the message of the film. The Thin Red Line is basically a profoundly philosophical morality play on life, death and the love that drives us through moments of sheer terror, and it is also a piece of deeply moving poetry that captures the beauty of life and the tragic sadness of our world. Students and afficionados of filmmaking will be treated to stunning visuals and technical mastery-- Malick's perfectionism is surpassed by few; others will be treated to almost three hours of "eye candy." Almost every shot is a work of art, and I cannot even begin to imagine how many feet of film must have ended on the cutting room floor before the final cut came together. The imagery switches back and forth between the tranquility and beauty of nature and the roughness and brutality of war, interspersed with "poetic vignettes;" philosophical reflections to "another time, another place." The frequent use of narrative voiceovers provide a sometimes startling, sometimes disturbing, counterpoint to the images on the screen. Although the DVD box reads like the film has a "cast of thousands," several of the "names" (John Travolta, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson) have little more than cameo appearances. Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, John Cusack and Nick Nolte put in solid-- albeit not inspired-- performances. Overall, the film is more about abstract concepts than about the characters and the action, themselves. The Thin Red Line is definitely on my "all-time top 20" list of films, BUT-- and this is a BIG "but"-- it only "works" if you maintain the perspective that you're watching an "art" film, rather than an "action" film.
Rating: 
Summary: Crossing Over the 'Line'
Review: A prolonged war picture about the battle for Guadalcanal Island, "The Thin Red Line" hits and misses. Terrence Malick's direction is correlative to nobody else. Characters come and go. Sean Penn thinks he knows a lot about life and death (substantial). Jim Caviezel is one with nature (habitat boy). Nick Nolte is an irate sergeant with really needs to calm down (his veins are full of merit). Woody Harrelson loses his hind end (twinge!). Elias Koteas doesn't like the sergeant (not good). George Clooney, John Travolta and John Cusack make appearances (why?). There are plenty of shots to make any cinematographer jealous. Good acting, but three hours of almost nothing will leave you empty. If you are willing to see how long you can last before you fall asleep, try it out. If you feel like meditating, watch this. If you feel like torturing somebody, watch this. If you feel like doing something fun, get a baseball bat and play Over the Line with a copy of this movie to smash.
Rating:
Summary: More than a movie: a true film.
Review: This film haunts me. The images, the music, the narration ... they draw me back to the film again and again. I react differently each time I watch it. Like a true work of art, it defies easy characterization. I was so struck by it, that I made my wife watch it with me again on our honeymoon! Many complain about a lack of a strong narrative and character development. These complaints have some merit. They accurately describe the film; but they do not have merit as complaints. You don't have to tell a story to have an impact as a film, and the lack of character development can be attributed to the "everyman" perspective of much of the film. There is a fascinating interplay between man and nature in the film, and I pick up different details each time I watch. Sometimes, nature -- the landscape -- seems to revolt at the violence and it antagonizes the perpetrators. At other times, nature reveals its own violent side. There is an unforgettable scene where Caviezel's character discovers that the apparently peaceful native inhabitants of the island -- those who are closest to nature -- have a history of bloodshed themselves. There are other scenes that fascinate me and have etched themselves in my mind. Caviezel is perfect in what I think of as a Christ-like character in the film. One gaze from his eyes can convey so much. It's the best role I have seen him in. Sometimes slow and ponderous. Sometimes moving. Sometimes hard to decipher. A fantastic, beautiful, compelling, and thoughtful film. Full disclosure: I have not seen the DVD and have nothing to say about its features.
Rating:
Summary: Where's The War?
Review: 'The Thin Red Line' is perhaps the ultimate example of style over substance abuse. Visually, the film is gorgeous, with incredible locations and camera angles. Unfortunately, that's about all Terrence Malick's film has going for it, as the script is shallow, and a cohesive storyline is non-existent. The characters are so poorly drawn out that by the end you don't even care whether the heroes live or die (John Cusack's excellent performance and character being the sole exception); you just want this movie to end. The film's cover boasts an impressive list of actors; unfortunately, most of the famous actors appear for an entire 30-60 seconds each. No joke. This would be all right if the script would allow talented actors like Jim Caviezel to breath life into this shell of a film, but it sadly doesn't. I could go on about Hans Zimmer's wonderfully unused music, about the film's lack of a serious objective or point, or maybe about my astonishment regarding the fact that George Clooney received cover recognition for a 15 second speech, but I won't. Instead I will merely say this: at a full 3 hours, this film is about 3 hours too long, given that its driving force (which fails utterly) is collage of South Pacific scenery over a Jim Caviezel with a Southern accent's pointless, endless, and redundant, almost Shakespearean, monologues. As my father, a man who sat through two showings of 'Ben-Hur' back to back in the same afternoon, stated as he stood up to leave: "Boring."
Rating:
Summary: Very poor war flick
Review: If we assume that this was a war flick, it was a pretty bad one. The combat scenes are unrealistic and the protagonists are wooden and unconvincing. If it had really been like this, the US would have lost the war. The worst thing about the movie is that it was boring. The second worst thing is that the acting was poor. The third worst thing is that the story was a bore. The fourth worst thing is that this was not really a war flick at all. The only reason I gave this one two stars instead of one is that I was able to watch it to completion. Mind, I had to try multiple times, but I finally did finish it. I guess because I'd already wasted my money. But the movie was a bore. Pass this one by. It does not deserve to live.
Rating:
Summary: Hint: Not a War Film? This Isn't a Film at All
Review: Ever since it's release I've been amazed at the critical reception and nods at the Academy Awards show. Best movie? Best Director?
After watching it, you realize, if you were trying to get a WWII film fix, you sure as hell weren't going to get it here.It fails, even as an "anti-war" film. This film is so aimless, fractured and droning it's hard to pull any redeeming qualities out of it at all. What small qualities it does show are so short and few they're hard to spot.
After the constant drooling by so many actors and film buffs of the return of Terrence Malick to directing, you'd think he'd pull a much more coherent, approachable movie out of his butt to make his debut. He's obviously way too self important for that.
In the end, it looks as if the studio took all the money they saved from the stars' paycuts to be in the movie and used it to grease the palms of the Academy.
If I could give it a negative star rating, I would.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie and the start of Jim Caviezel's brilliant career
Review: The Thin Red Line is one of the most misunderstood movies I've seen in my life. Only a few people truly see the meaning of this movie, I included in this group. What many people saw in this movie was a boring war movie, and with Saving Private Ryan out the same year, that is understandable. The thing is though, is it was Private Ryan that really wasn't the war movie of the two.
Now that is not to say Private Ryan wasn't a good war movie, it was. But The Thin Red Line in a nutshell is the best war epic ever produced. This movie gives you a real look on war. It doesn't sugar coat it with a subplot like Private Ryan where you go in depth in soldier's lives. In The Thin Red Line you see men of different backgrounds all given a suicidal order by a stubborn colnel to charge a hill, and see how they react to it.
The thing that really makes this film unforgetable to me is the beautiful words spoken by various soliders with the view of war, or the view of the Guadal Canal. Whether it be sunlight through trees, a parrot, or actual war footage, it was something that will remain in me forever.
The other reason I love this movie is Jim Caviezel, bar none. Caviezel plays private Witt, who is the solider focused on most. Caviezel was a relative no name before this movie, and I believe he truly deserved an Oscar for his role. He was a calm man in an insane world. He saw peace and harmony in everything, and Caviezel did an unbelievable job portraying this man. Because of this great performance he has gone on to make great films such as "Frequency" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" along with a hanful of others. 2001 and 2002 have been very busy years for him and I believe that will continue to be the trend. Expect Caviezel to be a first tier actor in 5 years. And when you see him reach that level, remmber this was the movie that started it all for him.
One last note, don't forget to pick up the soundtrack, done by the great Hans Zimmer. Its very un zimmeresque and i believe it to be his best. This movie was defintely a 10/10 and should have won the best picture without a doubt.
Rating: 
Summary: It is indeed Thin
Review: I know I'm being exceptionally cruel but I just didn't like this movie. It had the deck stacked against it from the beginning coming out slightly after the much better "saving private Ryan". Overall-Two hours of Philosophizing introspective drivel and 40 minutes of action doesn't make a good war movie, I'm sorry.
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