The Thin Red Line
starring: James Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Kirk Acevedo, Penelope Allen
directed by: Terrence Malick
directed by: Terrence Malick
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Product Description:
Studio: TcfheRelease Date: 05/13/2008
Amazon.com essential video:
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 WorldWar 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 birthed tropical bird, 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
Amazon.com:
This serious-minded but flawed effort at bringing James Jones's later World War II novel to the screen might have languished in film vaults had reclusive director Terence Malick not resurfaced with a newer version, the likely spur to this video release. This first attempt, lensed in 1964, offers glimpses of what may have attracted Malick to the project.
Jones's story focuses on two American soldiers during the Guadalcanal campaign, the newlywed draftee Private Doll (Keir Dullea) and Sergeant Welch (Jack Warden), the hardened veteran. Doll is determined to survive whatever the cost, disobeying orders if it will improve his chances; Welch is dutiful yet calculating, resorting to deliberate acts of madness to toughen up his troops by showing them war's own absurdity by example. The clash between the private and the sergeant thus becomes the core to the film, focusing on the "thin red line" between sanity and insanity and depicting how that line blurs for both protagonists.
As directed by veteran Andrew Marton (55 Days in Peking), the film is at its best during sweeping battle sequences capturing the gritty horror of hand-to-hand combat, as the Americans try to take an impregnable wall of caves held by the Japanese enemy. Less successful are portentous scenes and dialogue that underscore this evident parable with a heavy hand; there's a self-conscious art film spin that misfires.The original black-and-white Cinemascope negative shows wear and tear, and early copies betray serious problems in their optical transfers. --Sam Sutherland
Studio: TcfheRelease Date: 05/13/2008
Amazon.com essential video:
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 WorldWar 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 birthed tropical bird, 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
Amazon.com:
This serious-minded but flawed effort at bringing James Jones's later World War II novel to the screen might have languished in film vaults had reclusive director Terence Malick not resurfaced with a newer version, the likely spur to this video release. This first attempt, lensed in 1964, offers glimpses of what may have attracted Malick to the project.
Jones's story focuses on two American soldiers during the Guadalcanal campaign, the newlywed draftee Private Doll (Keir Dullea) and Sergeant Welch (Jack Warden), the hardened veteran. Doll is determined to survive whatever the cost, disobeying orders if it will improve his chances; Welch is dutiful yet calculating, resorting to deliberate acts of madness to toughen up his troops by showing them war's own absurdity by example. The clash between the private and the sergeant thus becomes the core to the film, focusing on the "thin red line" between sanity and insanity and depicting how that line blurs for both protagonists.
As directed by veteran Andrew Marton (55 Days in Peking), the film is at its best during sweeping battle sequences capturing the gritty horror of hand-to-hand combat, as the Americans try to take an impregnable wall of caves held by the Japanese enemy. Less successful are portentous scenes and dialogue that underscore this evident parable with a heavy hand; there's a self-conscious art film spin that misfires.The original black-and-white Cinemascope negative shows wear and tear, and early copies betray serious problems in their optical transfers. --Sam Sutherland
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- my favorite movie
I've seen about as many movies as an average American and this one has topped my list ever since I saw it in the theater about 10 years ago. I've seen it about four times.
It's a shame that 90 zillion one-star ratings have been entered for this king of movies by what appears to be a single person.
This movie does risk pretention, romanticism, and over-lushness. Obviously, since I think it's the greatest movie ever made, I don't think those things ruined it at all, but perhaps ... Read More
Rating: - "This great evil . . . Where does it come from . . . How'd it steal into the world . . ."
Back in the late 90's, I prefered Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" over Malick's "The Thin Red Line." I think it was mostly because of the action sequences, and the characters (though stereotypical as they were). But now, as I rewatched "The Thin Red Line," I find it even superior to "Saving Private Ryan."
TTRL isn't really a war film. It's actually a philosophical film that uses war as its topic. The American soldiers of WWII have landed on the island of Gauadalcanal, and it is their duty ... Read More
Rating: 
- The Ambiguous Review
I've read James Jones' source novel, and, being a devout admirer of Mr. Jones' work, I can say that Mr. Malick's version utterly failed in capturing Jones' hardcore realism. James Jones was most certainly NOT zen-like or poetic in his narrative. Make no mistake, "The Thin Red Line" is a love story. It's the love men have for their comrades in arms in the most appalling of circumstances. Readers need to remember that the main character of the novel is "C for Charlie" company.
As for the film, ... Read More
Rating: 
- easily the worst movie ever
I expected a movie along the lines of private ryan but then in the pacific theater. If you expect that don't buy it.
This is easily the worst movie I ever saw. The storyline jumps up and down and it is impossible to capture what he is trying to state. This all is mixed with a lot of mumbo jumbo supposed to be poetry.
There is something good about the movie as well however. Awesome shots of nature and a very clear depiction of what men in combat go trough psychologically. Further there are nice ... Read More
Rating: - It Gets Better....Much Better
This film came out the same year as "Saving Private Ryan" - two blockbuster 3-hour World War II movies - but was nowhere the same success at the box office. Up until lately, I agreed with most other people that Steven Spielberg's film was more more appealing than this Terrence Malick movie....but now I am not so sure. I find both of them fascinating.
It took me a long time to come around to liking this film. Unlike filmmaker Terrence Malick's previous efforts, this film had a character ... Read More
- my favorite movieI've seen about as many movies as an average American and this one has topped my list ever since I saw it in the theater about 10 years ago. I've seen it about four times.
It's a shame that 90 zillion one-star ratings have been entered for this king of movies by what appears to be a single person.
This movie does risk pretention, romanticism, and over-lushness. Obviously, since I think it's the greatest movie ever made, I don't think those things ruined it at all, but perhaps ... Read More
- "This great evil . . . Where does it come from . . . How'd it steal into the world . . ."Back in the late 90's, I prefered Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" over Malick's "The Thin Red Line." I think it was mostly because of the action sequences, and the characters (though stereotypical as they were). But now, as I rewatched "The Thin Red Line," I find it even superior to "Saving Private Ryan."
TTRL isn't really a war film. It's actually a philosophical film that uses war as its topic. The American soldiers of WWII have landed on the island of Gauadalcanal, and it is their duty ... Read More
- The Ambiguous ReviewI've read James Jones' source novel, and, being a devout admirer of Mr. Jones' work, I can say that Mr. Malick's version utterly failed in capturing Jones' hardcore realism. James Jones was most certainly NOT zen-like or poetic in his narrative. Make no mistake, "The Thin Red Line" is a love story. It's the love men have for their comrades in arms in the most appalling of circumstances. Readers need to remember that the main character of the novel is "C for Charlie" company.
As for the film, ... Read More
- easily the worst movie everI expected a movie along the lines of private ryan but then in the pacific theater. If you expect that don't buy it.
This is easily the worst movie I ever saw. The storyline jumps up and down and it is impossible to capture what he is trying to state. This all is mixed with a lot of mumbo jumbo supposed to be poetry.
There is something good about the movie as well however. Awesome shots of nature and a very clear depiction of what men in combat go trough psychologically. Further there are nice ... Read More
- It Gets Better....Much BetterThis film came out the same year as "Saving Private Ryan" - two blockbuster 3-hour World War II movies - but was nowhere the same success at the box office. Up until lately, I agreed with most other people that Steven Spielberg's film was more more appealing than this Terrence Malick movie....but now I am not so sure. I find both of them fascinating.
It took me a long time to come around to liking this film. Unlike filmmaker Terrence Malick's previous efforts, this film had a character ... Read More
