The Thin Red Line

Starring: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, John Travolta
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Rating: R
Genre:War, Drama
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Awards: Nominated for 7 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Dramatic Score

Summary: Some guys are in a jungle island in the Pacific during World War II, fighting the Japanese. Not much else happens.

Review:

Tim: First off, this is NOT a war film. It's a realistic look at what life was like in the army during World War II. Sure, there are a number of exciting battle scenes, and some good action, but that's not the main focus of the film (much to my chagrin). I was really looking forward to this film- it had a great cast, and was nominated for 7 Academy Awards.

I wondered why the film was nominated for so many, but didn't win a single one. After watching the film, I knew why. I was grossly disappointed in this movie. First off, not a single bullet is fired for over half an hour. During that time, we see the backdrop for the story, oftentimes which is confusing, and boring as hell. When the action finally started, it seemed as if nothing was going on. This film doesn't really have a beginning, middle, or end- I couldn't make heads or tails of where the plot was headed, and that's mostly because it doesn't go anywhere. There really is no storyline. We see a bunch of guys come onto an island, they fight the Japanese, some people die, and then it ends. There is nothing particularly interesting or exciting about the plot.

Furthermore, I was incredibly disappointed in the onscreen time of many of the big names. George Clooney's name is found all over this film- he is in the movie for 24 seconds at the very end. What the hell was that? He should have just been labeled as a cameo. Woody Harrelson isn't onscreen very long, and doesn't do a whole lot. I was so excited to see John Cusack's name on the box, because I love his work. He wasn't on screen very much at all. When he was, I loved his performance, but his time was cut horribly short. Nick Nolte does have some time, but not really enough to be effective. The film is really about Ben Chaplin and Jim Caviezel. Before watching this film, I didn't particularly like either one of them. However, their work here was tremendous. Chaplin didn't really have too many lines, but just watching him was amazing. He is great in the film, really enjoyable to watch. I absolutely disliked Caviezel until his performance here. He gives a chilling performance of a soldier who has seen so much, and seems to be almost hollow inside- except for a ray of hope that he keeps close to his heart. I would have hated this movie had it not been for Chaplin and Caviezel.

Another part of this film that annoyed me to no end was the narrator(s). Half the time I had no idea who the narrator was, and I think at different times, it's different people. The whole process is quite confusing. Furthermore, the majority of the time I had no idea what the hell the narrator was talking about, which only confused me all the more.

This film could have suffered a much worse fate except for a few things: While it's not a war movie (which was what I was expecting and hoping to see), the film did give a very intense look at the realistic life of a soldier during World War II. While at times it is boring and tiresome to watch, I supposed soldiers during WWII did go through periods of boredom. The film is beautiful to look at (which you have plenty of time to do, because there is hardly any plot). The score to the film is excellent- the chanting of the tribe or whatever is chilling and amazing to listen to. The performances of Chaplin and Caviezel are great, and Nolte, Brody, and even Cusack in his few moments on screen are very good as well. Finally, during the actual battle scenes, there are moments of great suspense and excitement. However, while this film gets a mediocre rating instead of a horrible one, I for one, hope I never have to sit through this film again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Behind Enemy Lines, running out right now and enlisting immediately