The Thin Red Line

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source: The Thin Red Line

The single worst movie I have EVER seen. I can NOT tell you what this movie is about because it has no story, no plot. It came out right after Saving Private Ryan, which didn't help it, since SPR ruined all war movies to come after it (or so I thought, after seeing this.. Later Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers, and others have proved that theory wrong-THANKFULLY!) Anyways, there was one scene in which the platoon or whatever was trying to take this hill. They took it, and then the movie went on.. For no apparent reason whatsoever. I wish someone would tell me what I'm missing in this movie. Poetry it may be, but it is not my cup of tea. Saw it in the theaters, my wife walked out after two hours. It is just very boring. Even Windtalkers, as bad as it was, had a plot. This has none. And if all it is is showing different people involved in war, with no link between them and no actual story, well then, I'd rather watch a documentary about it. Review written 3-3-05. Walt D in LV

The overly philosophical chatter and the slowness of the film have lost me. Not that I don't like slow action and can take the voice off, but the conversation of God, Nature and the like I didn't have a lot of patience for them. Most of the time it started to wander. The combat scenes are good, and the rawness of death and madness show well.

It's hard to believe this rubbish was nominated for Best Film alongside "Saving Private Ryan". It must have been good politicking because there is nothing to this film. Maybe the book was good, but I won't read it because the film was so disappointing. For a 3-hour war film, there certainly was not any battle scenes that typically make up successful war flicks. There was just artsy-fartsy dream sequences that go on and on and bore you to tears. Nick Nolte stands out however, so see it if you like him. All the other Hollywood names add nothing, and the main character is so bland I didn't care a whit about him. Check out the classic War films such as: "Cromwell", "Zulu", "Waterloo", "Braveheart", "Tora Tora Tora", "Charge of the Light Brigade", etc...

Theres been bad movies made in the past but nothing comes close to this trash. I'm still numb. What in the hell WAS that? No plot. No characters to care about. Disconnected, disjointed, boring, pointless, stunningly awful. Who is this Terrance Maklic and how do I get him to give me 2 hours of my life back? All those guns and nobody thought to shoot this maniac before he finished this tripe. How could ANYONE in thier right mind like this crap? I've read some of the other reviews and all I can say is they must be on some pretty good drugs to see any redeeming value to this waste of film.

"I like you captain, and I'd just want you to know that, we're in this thing together" growls Lt. Col. Gordon Tall early in what has to be one of the most innovative war films ever made, and that is truly how the audience feels, as if they are it with the characters. The perfect cinematography and directing create such immersion, that we really feel as though we are one of Charlie company, fighting alongside them. This practically first person view contributes to this being possibly the most visually stimulating war film ever made, and this allows the audience to really picture the horror of combat. When combined with fantastic performances from the likes of Nick Nolte, whose deranged persistence is a highlight of his career, the film is as thought provoking as the best of all war films, Apocalypse Now, and a comparison to that shows how brilliant a film Terrence Malick has created.

Despite an all-star cast and critical acclaim, I found this movie to be a big yawn. Two hours of close-ups of soldier's faces surrounded by nothing but tall grass and another hour of close-ups of soldiers' faces with a stream or other landscape as a backdrop. I know this isn't an action film but I found it difficult to invest myself it in when I couldn't even tell if they were advancing or retreating, were near the enemy, or anything else. If the cast hadn't been full of familiar faces, I would've been totally lost because they all look the so similar with helmets and dirty faces. This movie was a huge disappointment.