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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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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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An intensely internalized portrait of external pandemonium, a slippery, insidiously haunting work of poetry!

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Matt's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Matt Easterbrook
Matt Easterbrook
Matt's Movie Reviews

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

The thinking person's Saving Private Ryan.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

One of the most curious and perversely brilliant films ever made!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

It wrestles with complexity, speaks to us in poetry, weaves multiple narrative strands into a tapestry, opens the festering wounds of war and gazes inside without blinking.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Norman Green
Norman Green
Film.com

The Thin Red Line is an epic aestheticization of World War II, a movie at once bold and baffling, immediate and abstract.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

There has been no American film in 1998 with larger ambitions!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Richard T. Jameson
Richard T. Jameson
Mr. Showbiz

Fascinating!

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

The Thin Red Line shows us freedom at its most visceral and unintellectual - and cinematic.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Steven Rosen
Steven Rosen
Denver Post

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Takes war to a stirring level!

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News

A complex, highly talented work marked by intellectual and philosophical ambitions!

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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