The Thin Red Line

For me, Terrence Malick confirms his status as one of the most overrated directors of our time. His early films were good, but then he lost his way and returned as a film philosopher who doesn't really say anything in three hours. And when even a war film can be boring, that's something to consider, but that's just because Malick says so much that he actually says nothing at all. (04/01/2016)

God, why? Why does such a brilliant director so stubbornly refuse to tell a story? The Thin Red Line is not a classic war film, which is something I could appreciate as someone who doesn’t like classic war films. Unfortunately, it’s something even worse: a wannabe spiritual borefest. It’s really funny how many people have Malick as a great philosopher and his films as deep wells of wisdom. Sod that! Philosophy is a scientific discipline and not lengthy bulshitting about the immortality of a git! This was martyrdom. The characters go and go, they shoot for a while, then go again, they utter morsels of wisdom here and there… and that lasts for almost three hours. The film tries to draw a psychological portrait of a lot of characters, and I believe it fails spectacularly because after awhile I lost track of who is saying what. It’s brilliantly crafted, but Malick is not my cup of tea. The more I watch from him, the less I look forward to The Tree of Life (and I was really looking forward to it after the trailer). (02/17/2011)

A war movie as a glorification of the beauties of nature. Malick’s philosophizes more about people than war and the battle of Guadalcanal in his eyes is neither a duel between individuals nor a clash of cultures. But rather another in a row of senseless clashes taking place on Earth, where people can choose to behave toward each other either like humans or dogs. (04/02/2015)

A cinematic experience in every sense. After all these years, I completely understand that if people don't resonate with Terrence Malick's style, it must be extremely difficult for them to connect with his films. On the other hand, if you're a fan, his films are bound to grow on you. Why? Because they contain a core idea. They don't just serve as beautiful eye candy, where your jaw will constantly drop, but also provoke thoughts about the meaning of existence and the transience of life. And that’s exactly what The Thin Red Line brings. Folks, please don’t compare it to Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan; these are fundamentally different films. The Thin Red Line is unique; yes, it’s a war film through and through, so expect a solid dose of battle scenes with excellent action sequences, but it also offers a certain poetry typical of Malick. Amid all the war chaos, there’s a shot of the Pacific nature (contrast between life and death), and there are also the inner monologues of the protagonist, Jim Caviezel, exploring the origins of evil and where it comes from. Overall, I consider the script flawless. The cinematography is also stunning, and the nature shots simply have a WOW! factor. And Zimmer’s score in the background is the proverbial cherry on top. Again, there’s the dilemma of which film I personally consider the greatest war film of all time. The Thin Red Line has truly risen high in my rankings. I give it 92%. (02/05/2020)