The Thin Red Line (1998)

Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writers:

James Jones (novel), Terrence Malick (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 40 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Acevedo	...	Pvt. Tella
Penelope Allen	...	Witt's Mother (as Penny Allen)
Benjamin Green	...	Melanesian Villager (as Benjamin)
Simon Billig	...	Lt. Col. Billig
Mark Boone Junior	...	Pvt. Peale
Adrien Brody	...	Cpl. Fife
Norman Patrick Brown	...	Pvt. Henry
Jim Caviezel	...	Pvt. Witt
Ben Chaplin	...	Pvt. Bell
George Clooney	...	Capt. Bosche
John Cusack	...	Capt. John Gaff
Jarrod Dean	...	Cpl. Thorne
Matt Doran	...	Pvt. Coombs
Travis Fine	...	Pvt. Weld
Paul Gleeson	...	1st Lt. Band

Storyline

U.S. Army Private Witt (AWOL) is found and imprisoned on a troop carrier by his company First Sergeant, Welsh.The men of C Company,1st Battalion,27th Infantry Regiment,25th Infantry Division have been brought to Guadalcanal as reinforcements in the campaign to secure Henderson Field and seize the island from the Japanese. They arrive near Hill 210, a key Japanese position. Their task is to capture the hill at all cost. What happens next is a story developing about redemption and the meaningless of war. Regardless the outcome.

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Plot Keywords:

battle | tropical island | jungle | guadalcanal | hill | 

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Taglines:

Every man fights his own war.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for realistic war violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Tok Pisin Japanese Greek

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

La delgada línea roja

Filming Locations:

Bramston Beach, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$223,548, 27 December 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$36,400,491

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$98,126,565

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Geisler-Roberdeau, Phoenix Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min 215 min (rough cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, the unit in the film and the characters in it are U.S. Army, not Marines. They are wearing Army herringbone twill fatigue uniforms, and are using M1 Garand rifles, which most Marines on Guadalcanal did not have. The Marines led the invasion of Guadalcanal in August of 1942, but operations were turned over to the Army, who finished the campaign in February of 1943.

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Goofs

When Welsh is talking to the scared young soldier in the shaving quarters at the beginning of the film, the soldier says, "Only two things that are permanent is dying and the Lord," and the camera and the operator's hand are reflected in the far left mirror (visible only in the widescreen release).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Private Edward P. Train: What's this war in the heart of nature? Why does nature vie with itself? The land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature? Not one power, but two?

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Crazy Credits

Composer Wrangler. . . Moanike'ala Nakamoto

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Connections

Referenced in George Washington (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Unanswered Question
Composed by Charles Ives
Performed by Orchestra of St. Luke's (as The Orchestra of St. Luke's)
Conducted by John Adams

User Reviews

A different, enthralling war film.

The Thin Red Line has no real hero and no real plot to speak of. Due to its release the same year as Saving Private Ryan it will forever be linked to Spielberg's anti-war opus. Yet, "TRL" deserves to be compared to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 due to it's style and distance from the audience. The film's only character is the Charlie Company and the conflict is between humankind itself. Director Terrance Malik asks profound questions and unlike "Ryan," doesn't expect them to be answered because they simply can't be answered. Like 2001, the viewer is left with more questions than answers at the end of the film and is told in stunning visual fashion. Some critics have pointed out various flaws in the film; however, these traits are what sets TRL apart form it's peers. The stars like John Travolta and George Clooney have little screen time. They are the officers who command attention and are larger than life to the simple GI's who do the real work (and most of the acting in the film.) The characters are mostly unrecognizable and you know little about them save the main characters like Pvt. Bell. But, the faces are meant to be unrecognizable; to paraphrase the film they are simply flesh and meat made from the earth simply to return back to it. Those who criticise the lack of violence in some scenes while labeling the other scenes intense don't realize the intensity the fight scenes generalize are due to the fact that the soldiers don't know when their next battle will be and when their last breath will take place. The main character, Charlie Company, is fighting to stay alive, the only real driving force of the plot. All of the characters have different views of the war, shown through the use of random spoken narrative. There is no easy conclusion to the war and the film starts off where it began, among the animals of the pacific. Life is one huge circle and one could guess the battle for the bunker on top of the hill could be fought again and there is no possible way to stop it, (At least that is what I was able to muster of the film itself.) For myself the most haunting image was the scene when the Americans stare at their Japanese enemy after capturing the hill. Both sides seem to realize that they could be on the other side of the battle and that in war there really is no good vs. bad scenario, just what nation you're from and who you are trying to kill. Yet the question asked is why war occurs and why we must fight each other. On that note, we still have no answers. The acting and sound are superb. The direction, editing, and score are all Oscar caliber. I don't shrink from saying that TRL is the best film of 1998 and one of the greatest war films of all time; (and contrary to what some are trying to say it is a war film, that is at its core.) TRL is the only film to ever make my knees tremble and haunt me days after I saw it. If you see it, I'm sure your opinions will be just as strong as mine.