Review for The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line is a masterpiece. But and this is a BIG BUT, if you are going to watch this film, take the day off, turn off your phone and switch off your laptop as this is a film that needs your full attention. At over three hours, this is a film that sucks you in and once you are in the film, that's you stuck for the full length. This isn't a film that you can have on in the background or a film that you can dip in and out of, this is a film that demands you stop what you are doing and pay watch.

The Thin Red Line is a film that follows multiple stories of characters during the Second World War. It would take me a while to reveal all the stories, but the main characters are Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) who does not want to be in the war, but he is forced to by his Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn).

Set during the campaign to seize vital strategic points in Japan Lieutenant Colonel Tall (Nick Nolte) is preparing the invasion under Quintard (John Travolta). Tall sees this as his last chance to get a promotion that he feels he has been passed over for many times before. The attack is seen by many as a suicide mission due to the effective positioning of the Japanese. What follows is an epic look at character and commitment as the soldiers try to recover from this devastating attack. This is seen through the many characters, lives and stories that intertwine in the film.

One thing you may have noticed is the cast list. This cast is packed full of stars. In fact it's hard to think of a film that has packed so many stars into the one film (besides The Expendables). As well as those above, the cast includes George Clooney, Adrien Brody, Ben Chaplin, John Cusack,Woody Harrelson, John C, Reilly and Thomas Jane amongst many more. The number of awards this cast has secured over the years is phenomenal and though many such as Travolta and Clooney are barely cameos, many take their role, however small and make it a significant moment in the film.

What is fascinating is the number of other big name stars who were in the original cut and were removed including Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Billy Bob Thornton, Viggo Mortensen and Mickey Rourke. It seems amazing that if the film had been the way it should, it would have all these stars in it. The strangest thing about this is that no one from the film was nominated for any acting awards they were not even nominated for the SAG Best Ensemble... which is insane. It is also a shame that the Blu-ray does not include this deleted footage to see whether there was a reason for the cuts. Only the scene starring Rourke is included.

Terrence Malick is one of the most respected directors of all time. His work is often viewed in the 'all time greats' list and this film is certainly one of those films that proves why that is. The Thin Red Line was his first film for almost two decades and much like when George Lucas returned to make The Phantom Menace, there was a huge expectations placed on this film. However, unlike Lucas (Jar Jar Bink? Need I say more?) this film exceeded expectations and then some.

It is after watching this film that you wonder 'Well if it didn't win the Oscar for Best Film then the film that did had to be amazing, right?' Erm... Shakespeare in Love? It's possibly one of the Academy's biggest mistakes as this film deserves allas nominated for. It is also a shame that Spielberg released Saving Private Ryan in the same year, as it did steal much of its thunder. That being said, this film is still epic in its scope and in how it was filmed, edited and scored by Hans Zimmer.

The Blu-ray comes with a number of extras, some featurettes looking at the editing (which is reported to have taken almost a year), the acting process and also a very interesting commentary. It is a shame, seeing as the original cut was almost five hours long that only thirteen minutes of deleted scenes are included and it would have been interesting if they had included this 'extended version' in this set.

The Thin Red Line is one of the greatest war films ever made... no scratch that... it is one of the greatest films ever made. Everything from the acting, to the music, to how it was shot is sheer perfection and is a film that everyone should view if they want to see how good a movie can actually be.