The Thin Red Line
7 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.
What critics thought
Terrence Malick's return after a twenty-year absence drew genuinely favorable notices, but the praise was far from unanimous — critics split hard over whether the film's philosophical ambition and ravishing imagery added up to a coherent whole or dissolved into beautiful, self-indulgent incoherence. The battle sequences were almost universally admired; everything around them was contested.
“The movie's schizophrenia keeps it from greatness (this film has no firm idea of what it is about), but doesn't make it bad. It is, in fact, sort of fascinating... The battle scenes themselves are masterful, in creating a sense of the geography of a particular hill, the way it is defended by Japanese bunkers, the ways in which the American soldiers attempt to take it”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Some films deal in plot truth; this one expresses emotional truth, the heart's search for saving wisdom, in some of the most luscious imagery since Malick's last film, the 1978 Days of Heaven.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“The heart-piercing moments that punctuate its rambling are glimpses of what a tighter film might have been.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“The Thin Red Line could, I think, turn out to be this season's Beloved, a movie too paralyzingly high-minded to connect with audiences.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“Like Malick's previous efforts – Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) – Line is a film of incredible beauty. However, the atmosphere created by John Toll's breathtaking cinematography and Hans Zimmer's powerful score is occasionally compromised.”
Time Out New York
Genres
Drama, History, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorTerrence Malick
StarringJim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas
ComposerHans Zimmer
The Thin Red Line
7 Oscar Nominations
The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.
What critics thought
Terrence Malick's return after a twenty-year absence drew genuinely favorable notices, but the praise was far from unanimous — critics split hard over whether the film's philosophical ambition and ravishing imagery added up to a coherent whole or dissolved into beautiful, self-indulgent incoherence. The battle sequences were almost universally admired; everything around them was contested.
“The movie's schizophrenia keeps it from greatness (this film has no firm idea of what it is about), but doesn't make it bad. It is, in fact, sort of fascinating... The battle scenes themselves are masterful, in creating a sense of the geography of a particular hill, the way it is defended by Japanese bunkers, the ways in which the American soldiers attempt to take it”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Some films deal in plot truth; this one expresses emotional truth, the heart's search for saving wisdom, in some of the most luscious imagery since Malick's last film, the 1978 Days of Heaven.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“The heart-piercing moments that punctuate its rambling are glimpses of what a tighter film might have been.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“The Thin Red Line could, I think, turn out to be this season's Beloved, a movie too paralyzingly high-minded to connect with audiences.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“Like Malick's previous efforts – Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978) – Line is a film of incredible beauty. However, the atmosphere created by John Toll's breathtaking cinematography and Hans Zimmer's powerful score is occasionally compromised.”
Time Out New York
Genres
Drama, History, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorTerrence Malick
StarringJim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas
ComposerHans Zimmer
Rent/Purchase