The Thin Red Line (1998)
Director: Terrence Malik
Watched: 12/18/20
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
[Clue: Setting is this South Pacific island]
Gives us a unique take on the epic war film genre with all of auteur director Terrence Malik’s signature trademarks present,
Unfortunately ends up being a whole lot more style than substance-
A-list celebrities populate the credits- but far too many characters to follow with any resemblance of sustained connection.
Delves into so much more than war, it is really about the human condition and all of life, but the 3-hour runtime requires more patience and viewings to appreciate than most audience members (should) possess.
Audibly and visually discordant- captivating cinematography paired with a stirring score, but interspersed with endless confusing battle scenes.
Leaves audiences disoriented from a beautiful chaotic mess that must mean something, but the details elude.
Coming out the same time as “Saving Private Ryan”, it was somewhat overlooked during awards season,
As the two might as well be opposites with Spielberg’s epic being direct in its patriotic depiction of the necessary sorrows of war,
Nothing like Malick’s languorous pace as it nebulously reveals a philosophical take on the appalling violence and meaningless of war.
Alas, with Malick’s infamously harsh editing process, it’s possible the good parts were
Left on the cutting room floor.
Title Meaning: Same title as the book it is based on. According to Wikipedia, The novel’s title alludes to a line from a Rudyard Kipling poem, “Tommy”, in which he calls British foot soldiers “the thin red line of heroes”, referring to the stand of the 93rd Regiment in the Battle of Balaclava of the Crimean War. Other sources attribute it to an old Midwestern saying, “There is only a thin red line between the sane and the mad.”