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 21 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 costs. What happens next is a story of redemption and the meaninglessness of war. Regardless of 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only Best Picture Oscar nominee that year not to be nominated in any of the acting categories.

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Goofs

The length of Welsh's hair on the boat as the alarm sounds and then later the next day.

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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 Undergrads: New Friends (2001)

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Soundtracks

Sit Back and Relax
Written & Performed by Francesco Lupica

User Reviews

Mixed feelings

I used to hate this movie a lot (And I mean, a lot) but nowadays I have started to see its good qualities.

Terrence Malick's films are not everyone's cup of tea, and this is not only not the exception, but probably the most extreme example of that at display: There are many qualities from this movie that are frankly admirable (Particularly its brilliant cinematography and performances) but it is also the kind of movie that is quite tedious to watch at moments.

And it's already a pretty long film, it feels even longer than it actually is.

If you are about to watch this, don't expect something like "Saving Private Ryan". Expect something more akin to Apocalypse Now Redux: A brilliant, but also tedious movie that is both beautiful and both tiring at moments.

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English Tok Pisin Japanese Greek

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Thin Red Line

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$52,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$282,534, 27 December 1998

Gross USA:

$36,400,491

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$98,127,814

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:

2.39 : 1