THE THIN RED LINE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Where's a ruthless studio head when you need one?
Most of the time, avid moviegoers search out the showing of the
director's cuts of movies. Writer and director Terrence Malick's THE
THIN RED LINE, based on the James Jones novel, will have many wishing in
vain for a vastly trimmed down and focused studio cut of the picture.
At two and three quarter hours long, the movie meanders throughout but
not nearly as bad as in the relatively pointless first and last acts.
The movie might be a candidate for the record book in that it is perhaps
the first movie that would be improved if viewers skipped the entire
first and last half-hours, when little of consequence occurs.
As the year's other movie about World War II, THE THIN RED LINE will
naturally be compared to Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, SAVING PRIVATE
RYAN. Whereas Spielberg's film is never less than breathtaking,
Malick's vision is much more ethereal and removed. People die horribly
in both films, but Malick's movie, with its montage of helmeted
Hollywood stars, knows how to create striking visuals but not compelling
characters. Deaths in THE THIN RED LINE are likely to leave audiences
dry-eyed and detached.
Nature, on the other hand, is so gorgeously presented that the film
looks like a long episode from The Nature Channel. The camera looks
long and lovingly at all of the flora and fauna. (The movie was filmed
in the beautiful Daintree rain forest of Australia.)
The biggest difference between the two movies is that SAVING PRIVATE
RYAN has a plot. THE THIN RED LINE contents itself with showing some of
the fighting at the battle of Guadalcanal and doesn't feel the need for
any structure.
The actors are hard to recognize under all the grime of war, but from
the credits it is obvious that any man with Hollywood connections tried
to get himself a part. Cameos by John Travolta and George Clooney
bracket the movie at the beginning and end. In between a host of stars
drop by the set to act their parts.
Most notable perhaps are Sean Penn as 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh and Nick
Nolte as Lt. Col. Gordon Tall. Penn's performance is as beautifully
understated as Nolte's excellent work is purposely over the top. Nolte
plays an old soldier whose problem is that up until WW II he hasn't had
a war in his 15 years in the service, so he wants to make the most of
this one and hopefully win his general's star. If this means that he
has to place his men needlessly in harm's way, then so be it, since this
is war after all.
In the supporting cast, John Cusack does a nice turn as Capt. John Gaff.
The captain is a hero who wears his garland of victory heavily.
Malick makes extensive use of voice-over for the characters to express
their inner thoughts. Some of these are moving, but too often they end
up sounding trite and false.
Even if it drags frequently, the movie does illustrate the horrors of
war. "Who's doing this?" one of the grunts asks. "Who's killing us?"
The film asks the quintessential anti-war question of "Why?" but
provides few hints at the answers.
THE THIN RED LINE runs needlessly long at 2:46. It is rated R for
wartime violence and gore and would be fine for teenagers.
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Have I Seen This Movie: Yes
And What Did I Think?: I think this movie was slightly over-rated. I heard real good things about this movie, and while it was good, I don't know if it was oscar material. There are lots of stars here such as Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson and cameos by John Travolta and George Clooney. This movie could have used some editing, it was a bit too long.. just under 3 hours. It had some real nice location scenery, and the acting was above avergae as well. However, of the two wr movies that came out in 98, I prefer Saving Private Ryan better. The two movies aren't the same though. I compare this movie more towards Apocalypse Now.. just not as good. It's more cerebral and focuses more on the thoughts that go on in the soldier's heads as they're fighting this war. Like Ryan, it doesn't glorify war, but rather shows man's brutal side. It won't leave you feeling the same after watch Saving Private Ryan, but if you like war movies, its worth renting.
I give The Thin Red Line 3 out of 5 stars
Review written July 22, 1999
