The Thin Red Line

This isn't for the faint of heart.

You need to smash through a chaotic wall of different voices, all claiming their own version of reality and warfare.
The movie doesn't have a "message." It’s simply a depiction of life as an unrelenting struggle where everything is at war—even the branches of trees fighting against those trying to stop them. In short, it's a Heraclitean film, despite those Whitman quotes (can you guess which ones?). To actually grasp this piece, you need more philosophical and literary depth than mere cinematic or visual literacy.

The film is the director's vision, and criticizing it as such feels somewhat hollow. Sure, there are flaws—the cacophony of voices, certain scenes that drag on like a Spaghetti Western—but the greatest, most ambitious works are often like this. Monumentality demands a certain level of messiness and even cliché.

The characters? They fit into the frame just like soldiers in combat, serving as psychological anchors for the entire vision. A word of advice: if you want to love or even understand this film, watching Ryan or Iwo Jima won't help you. You need to read Melville and Whitman. Even more so than James Jones.

redowl90 said:I'm not really sure why people think there are too many characters. Let's break it down...

Jim Caviezel (basically Witt's private) is essentially the lead here.
Sean Penn plays the other main guy—the dynamic between him and Witt is written so well, and honestly, I don't see the issue with their backstories at all...

Nick Nolte & Elias Koetas (if I have the name right, he plays Staros)—their connection is also masterfully directed and explained (especially that part—which was my favorite bit—where Nolte pushes Elias to charge that hill with everything he's got). That arc wraps up when Staros settles his command issues and finally heads home to escape the madness...

Ben Chaplin—his storyline is actually my favorite. You really feel for the guy because he's just thinking about getting back to his wife, only for her to leave him for some pilot at the end (I'm not entirely sure about the details el duderino mentioned, that was just my first impression of her character)...

When you add in the incredible cinematography (honestly, I'll never understand why that didn't win an Oscar) and the stunning locations, you've got something beautiful—a total visual feast...

👍 👍

redowl90 said:Pretentious? I wouldn't say so, though I get why people attack it for that. Boring? Not for me. After watching it, I actually felt bad for the six and a half hours of footage left on the cutting room floor—meanwhile, my buddy was cursing out the movie because of "what kind of fucking stupid ending is this?"...

I heard somewhere that Mallick wanted to release a DVD with six hours of footage, but it looks like that's not happening... such a shame. Even so, this is one of my favorites; the whole experience is perfect for me, from the characters and atmosphere to the pacing, visuals, and score. Only one other movie hits me quite like this one—it's almost hypnotic—and that's Kurosawa's Ran.

"How did we loose good that was given us? Or let it slip away. Scatter it carelessly into the wind... trade it for what has no worth"

Hands down one of my favorite war movies. The first time I watched it, I thought it was kind of slow because I was used to those action flicks where people are just shooting up left and right like it’s a damn picnic. This is one of those rare films that actually digs into the psyche of an average soldier. Those landscapes aren't there for the view; they're there for the contrast. It shows how human stupidity can turn paradise into pure hell. You have to watch this properly. If you're the type who just wants mindless killing and thinks war is "cool," skip it. For people like that, just go watch Chuck Norris.

Noah Hall said:You really have to know how to watch this movie properly.

👍

I’ll jump on the bandwagon here: that sequence where Americans finally storm the Japanese camp, and then when the Japanese take Finn prisoner, says more than all those hours of Eastwood's 'Letters from Iwo Jima.' In just a few minutes, Mallick captured everything—the suffering, the sheer terror, the humanity, and the equality shared with the Americans.

But seriously, why not just make an entire new movie about that whenever they get the chance? Honestly, Mallick nailed it; he did more than just nail it. It's definitely a film for those who "get it," whether the "outcasts" liked it or not...

Solid anti-war message and visually striking, but honestly, it drags on way too long.