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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the cinema's great disappearing acts came to a close with the release of The Thin Red Line in late 1998. Terrence Malick, the cryptic recluse who withdrew from Hollywood visibility after the release of his visually enthralling masterpiece Days of Heaven (1978), returned to the director's chair after a 20-year coffee break. Malick's comeback vehicle is a fascinating choice: a wide-ranging adaptation of a World War II novel (filmed once before, in 1964) by James Jones. The battle for Guadalcanal Island gives Malick an opportunity to explore nothing less than the nature of life, death, God, and courage. Let that be a warning to anyone expecting a conventional war flick; Malick proves himself quite capable of mounting an exciting action sequence, but he's just as likely to meander into pure philosophical noodling--or simply let the camera contemplate the first steps of a newly born tropical bird or the sinister skulk of a crocodile. This is not especially an actors' movie--some faces go by so quickly they barely register--but the standouts are bold: Nick Nolte as a career-minded colonel, Elias Koteas as a deeply spiritual captain who tries to protect his men, Ben Chaplin as a G.I. haunted by lyrical memories of his wife. The backbone of the film is the ongoing discussion between a wry sergeant (Sean Penn) and an ethereal, almost holy private newcomer (Jim Caviezel). The picture's sprawl may be a result of Malick's method of "finding" a film during shooting and editing, and in some ways The Thin Red Line seems vaguely, intriguingly incomplete. Yet it casts a spell like almost nothing else of its time, and Malick's visionary images are a challenge and a signpost to the rest of his filmmaking generation. --Robert Horton
Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Surround 5.1
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Original Theatrical Trailer
Melanesian Songs
Czech\Danish\Finnish\Hebrew\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Swedish
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Surround 5.1
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Original Theatrical Trailer
Melanesian Songs
Czech\Danish\Finnish\Hebrew\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Swedish
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Comparisons with Spielberg's contemporaneous Saving Private Ryan have been made and made again. Leave them to one side. You must see both these films.
Thin Red Line has the compelling quality of not being constrained by a narrative. It really seems to follow the fortunes of a group of men at war without concern for dramatic effect, plot, or any of the things which are so absent from our own real lives - whether we're at war or on our daily commute. Thus the great action scenes happen early on, then fade out. And time after time after time, the viewer is left thinking "does it end now?". Infantrymen in the Pacific must have thought the same.
Does this make for a fun, unchallenging evening's cinema? No. If you want one, go elsewhere. But the battle scenes, though different to Ryan, have a similarly authentic feel; and many of the cameo performances are great. Put in the effort and watch this film.
30 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film shatters the standard convetions for a war film and gently replaces them with an intrinsic, poetic and beautifully rendered piece of film making. From start to finish the quality of the photography is fantastic and the director's faultless talent to depict vivid environments is wonderfully illustrated with seamless editing.
A scene depicting two soldiers getting shot while approaching a bunker is superbly complimented by the sun peaking out from the clouds just after they have fallen and disappeared into the tall grass. The absolute tension and thick air of the pre-dawn build-up to the attack with Nick Nolte and John Travolta is one of the greatest scenes of tension I have witnessed.
Personal narratives and agendas throughout the film flood the viewer with emotions and feelings that you wouldn't normally associate with a war film. The soundtrack here is also one of the film's strong points and effortlessly entwines itself into the path of the edits. Engrossing, beautiful and an absolute pleasure to immerse yourself into.
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you are looking for a Hollywood quick fix, action film then this is not for you. This film takes on many aspects that it is far deeper than an action film; war, philosopy and faith. Along with these is some fantastic cinema photography.
The film works so well because of the binary opposition of the beauty of creation and the distructiveness of man. It starts with scenes of locals of Guadalcanal singing there hearts out to God and depicts there ability to survive in a beautiful creation of God's. Then the opposite is shown of man coming from far away continents and destroying that creation.
This film is not for the arrogant or foolish, it is for those who want to go through a range of emotions and depths of psychology and philosophy. This film absorbs you and spits you out, confused on where you stand, which is why people rebuke this film.
It is a film you need to appreicate by watching a dozen times, because every time there is something else to learn. This is a film that does not even pay tribute to the actors which is why there appears to be no main character(s).
As far as a war film, the special effects are good, Saving Private Ryan did better, but it is not a film that has predominately focused on special effects, though they're pretty good.
Compared to Saving Private Ryan it wins, because it is not a trigger-happy American propaganda film, but a film that depicts and challenges man's inhumanity rather than gloryfying it. Action just does not make a war film by itself.
The sound track is fantastic! ie. the Melanesian Choirs. I loved it before I was a Christian, now I understand why that music is so powerful and why in the beginning of the film it fits the euphoric atmosphere that is quickly stolen away by war.
This film is in a league of its own.
The film works so well because of the binary opposition of the beauty of creation and the distructiveness of man. It starts with scenes of locals of Guadalcanal singing there hearts out to God and depicts there ability to survive in a beautiful creation of God's. Then the opposite is shown of man coming from far away continents and destroying that creation.
This film is not for the arrogant or foolish, it is for those who want to go through a range of emotions and depths of psychology and philosophy. This film absorbs you and spits you out, confused on where you stand, which is why people rebuke this film.
It is a film you need to appreicate by watching a dozen times, because every time there is something else to learn. This is a film that does not even pay tribute to the actors which is why there appears to be no main character(s).
As far as a war film, the special effects are good, Saving Private Ryan did better, but it is not a film that has predominately focused on special effects, though they're pretty good.
Compared to Saving Private Ryan it wins, because it is not a trigger-happy American propaganda film, but a film that depicts and challenges man's inhumanity rather than gloryfying it. Action just does not make a war film by itself.
The sound track is fantastic! ie. the Melanesian Choirs. I loved it before I was a Christian, now I understand why that music is so powerful and why in the beginning of the film it fits the euphoric atmosphere that is quickly stolen away by war.
This film is in a league of its own.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best war film ever?
This is a truly fantastic film.
More of a search into the human soul than your typical war film- instead master director Terrence Malick uses the setting of war, man's... Read more
More of a search into the human soul than your typical war film- instead master director Terrence Malick uses the setting of war, man's... Read more
Published 2 months ago by PeterB
Not sure what to say
This is just my personal opinion ok....I don`t like to give any film a negative review, however scenery etc apart,I was really unsure if I watched a complete "crock" or something... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard
The meaninglessness of life..
... at least the part of my life that I spent watching this film!
I loved Badlands and enjoyed Days of Heaven but this film is not in the same league. Read more
I loved Badlands and enjoyed Days of Heaven but this film is not in the same league. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Peter Coats
Just awful
This is one of the worst films I EVER seen and from the man who directed the brilliant 'Badlands.' Just shows that a good track record counts for nothing in the movies. Read more
Published 3 months ago by lordbrett
Strong Cast, BUT
Great cast, some fine sentiments, and an obviously moving story.
Unfortunately the film did not deliver, in actual fact it was hard work, the effects were not... Read more
Unfortunately the film did not deliver, in actual fact it was hard work, the effects were not... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr M
Fantastic movie
One of the best movies ever, Terrence Malick is a great master. The actors are also excellent, in particular Sean Penn and Jim Caviezel.
Published 4 months ago by SevL
The Thin Red Line [1999] [DVD]
quality film. often being overlooked due to its release alongside saving private ryan, malik's masterpiece draws on ensemble cast to tell the realistic tales of various soldiers... Read more
Published 9 months ago by ajra21
The self unfolding
What can I say about The Thin Red Line? It breaks all the rules of story telling by taking a well written novel on war with a dozen major characters,while using the characters,he... Read more
Published 10 months ago by technoguy
Utterly Brilliant
I saw this film in the cinema a couple of months after Saving private ryan and at first viewing found it rather boring and laboured. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Trystan Hedges
The Thin Red Line
The thin red line is a war film that doesnt just strive to tell who won the battle and who lost. Who survived and who died. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jim Jim
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