A
Perfectly Poetic Meditation on the Nature of
War.
I
don't like 'flag-waving' films. This film shows
soldiers as what they really are... Thinking and
feeling human beings with consciences. They are
not symbols of American superiority acting in
the name of righteousness. The Thin Red Line
shows them as flawed, unsure, nervous,
contemplative, jealous, scared, tired, bored,
brave, sympathetic, disobedient, horrific,
honorable, dishonorable, etc... The film runs
the gamut of human emotion.
"The Thin Red
Line" is not
intended to be an intense action film. It is,
however, an intensely emotional film. It is more
like a poem than your traditional war movie.
Most people don't like to think very much when
they go to the theatre... But this film demands
that you think for yourself. That is the reason
it didn't do as well as "Saving Private Ryan" at
the box office.
I
think "TTRL" will hold up better as the decades
go by. "SPR" is not a film that plays as well in
repeat viewings. It is still a very good film,
but not the classic that some claimed upon its
release in 1998.
"SPR"
is a great action film. However, I don't believe
that it rises above that level. "TTRL" never
sinks to the simplistic level of "action flick".
It floats above its subject and observes... much
like a poem. It questions, it ruminates, it
meditates... but it never simplifies. It never
provides the answers on a platter. "TTRL" never
gets overly sentimental... it simply meanders
its way into the mind and doesn't leave.
"The Thin Red
Line" is Terrence Malick's masterpiece and
stands firmly in my list of the greatest films
ever made.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
"The Thin
Red Line" is not a film for the lazy moviegoer.
In it, director Terrence Malick presents
questions without answers and answers without
questions. With one of modern cinema's truly
great ensemble performances, "The Thin Red Line"
presents a more realistic portrait of war than
Spielberg's wonderful but glossy "Saving Private
Ryan." While I admire the film's open-ended
approach and Malick's stunning vision, there
were times it felt like a film without divided
paths that never seemed to meet. I suppose it
comes down to authenticity, and wondering if
Malick had truly imparted his vision for each
character upon the actors. As visually hypnotic
and poetic as the film was throughout its
entirety, there were times it felt like I was
watching images, not people. "The Thin Red Line"
is a good film, bordering on greatness.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
