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Movies / On DVD / The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line

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The Thin Red Line (1998)

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78 %
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Reviews Counted:78

Fresh:61

Rotten:17

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: This is a complex but powerful work with high intensity.

Runtime: 2 hrs 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Terrence Malick returns to Hollywood after a two-decade hiatus with this adaptation of the classic WWII novel by James Jones. The story follows the efforts of an army platoon to capture the... Terrence Malick returns to Hollywood after a two-decade hiatus with this adaptation of the classic WWII novel by James Jones. The story follows the efforts of an army platoon to capture the Japanese-controlled island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific Ocean, which will have a major effect on the outcome of the war. The members of C-for-Charlie Company are all fighting for different reasons: some to achieve glory, some to fight for democracy, and some simply to remain alive. They spend the quieter moments reflecting upon their existence, searching for meaning amid the senselessness of war. Malick's reputation as one of cinema's most brilliant directors, based on his masterworks BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN, enabled him to pull together one of the largest ensemble all-star casts in Hollywood history. The result is a sprawling epic that carries itself like a poem read in a dream, a feeling that is greatly enhanced by John Toll's floating camerawork and Hans Zimmer's haunting score. Rather than concentrating solely on the violence and destruction of war, Malick uses the situation to address philosophical questions such as man versus nature, war versus peace, and good versus evil. THE THIN RED LINE proves that after a 20-year layoff, Malick hasn't lost a step. [More]

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, Dash Mihok, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Tim Blake Nelson, John Savage, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Jared Leto, Arie Verveen, David Harrod, Nick Stahl, Thomas Jane, Miranda Otto, John Travolta, George Clooney

Director: Terrence Malick

Director: Terrence Malick
Screenwriter: Terrence Malick
Producer: Grant Hill, John Roberdeau, Robert Michael Geisler
Composer: Hans Zimmer

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Thin Red Line

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/05/02
Geoffrey Macnab
Geoffrey Macnab
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The equal of Saving Private Ryan in creating devastatingly potent battle sequences. And it is its superior in cinematic poetry.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

A film of brilliant pieces and dazzling shots!

comment Comment
01/01/00
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Presenta los horrores de la guerra de una manera mucho más sutil que la cinta de Spielberg

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

... one of the richest and lushest films ever to emerge from Hollywood.

Full Review Source: Seattle Weekly | comment Comment
04/30/07
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Weekly

A highly original piece of motion picture artistry!

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

The visionary quality of the film and the exotic cinematography of John Toll make this a most impressive and unusual work of art.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/03/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Malick hasn't lost his knack for impressive visuals!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

Makes 'Apocalypse Now' look like a focused and concise piece of work

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

Malick, like Spielberg, has created an impressive visceral look at WW II combat, albeit with a much more impressionistic touch.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Darren D'Addario
Darren D'Addario
Citysearch

Words can only fail to accurately describe the challenging but wholly intoxicating experience.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Fascinating!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Won't be a commercial hit, but it will rank at the top of my list of best movies of 1998.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/28/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

A subtler, stronger, deeper film than Steven Spielberg's D-Day epic.

comment Comment
01/01/00
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Although Malick hasn't made a movie in two decades, he hasn't lost his touch for eye-catching vistas and the poetics of conflict.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Fenster
Bob Fenster
Arizona Republic

A highly original vision!

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
 
 
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