Thin Red Line - 1998

Review and Overview of the movie Thin Red Line

Category: Movies

Genre: War

Director: Terrence Mallick

Writers: James Jones (novel), Terrence Mallick (screenplay)

Tagline: Every man fights his own war

Awards: Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 19 nominations

This tells us the story of United States forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. This was adapted from the novel of the same name by James Jones.

A group of young soldiers were brought as a relief for the battle-weary Marine units.

Most of the scenes were at the hill and above it the Japanese soldiers built a bunker and anyone who tries to pass through it would have a hard time since the Japanese above can see everything and the people below would not be able to see that much. Here you would see how each soldier (specially first timers) would feel during the battles. How hesitant others would be to charge the enemy and sometimes fear gets to them too. Most of the film focuses on the views of each soldiers and their personal life. How each struggle to fight at the brink of fear.

The movie shows a couple of animals and focuses them at one point, like a bird, the snake, and other animals.The bird dying shows that not only humans suffered through the war but the birds as well. Hehe.

It’s a good movie. If you are war-movie person this is for you. It may seem confusing at first…. but the narration is pretty good… you’d get lots of wonderful insights about war there.

Trivia/Fun Facts Courtesy of IMDB:

• Three actors from Casualties of War (1989) are in this film: ‘Sean Penn’ , John C. Reilly, and Don Harvey. Although they are all higher in rank in this film, Reilly and Harvey are once again under Sean Penn’s command.
• Producers Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberdeau fell out with director Terrence Malick during pre-production. By the time they were filming, their relationship had so deteriorated that Malick barred them from visiting the set.
• Geisler and Roberdeau said they would attend the Oscars ceremony. Malick said if they were going to attend, he would stay home. Neither Geisler and Roberdeau nor Malick attended the Oscars. The movie won no awards.

Quotes:

Capt. Staros: I’ve lived with these men, sir, for two and a half years and I will not order them all to their deaths.

Pvt. Jack Bell: [voice over] We. We together. One being. Flow together like water. Till I can’t tell you from me. I drink you. Now. Now.

Private Witt: Maybe all men got one big soul everybody’s a part of, all faces are the same man.

Private Witt: Do you ever feel lonely?
First Sgt. Welsh: Only around people.

Private Witt: [narrating] War don’t ennoble men. It turns them into dogs… poisons the soul.