THE THIN RED LINE
Although it provides a nice complement to Spielberg's Ryan, The
Thin Red Line cannot be classified as simply its Pacific equivalent.
While Ryan was a gutsy narrative in which eight soldiers untertake
a specific and deadly task, this film is more a philosophical treatise on
the futility of war and the inexplicable nature of man that would take part
in it. It does not have a single protagonist, or even a small group, but
skips around among the various men of Charlie Company. First Sgt. Edward
Welsh (Sean Penn) is the regular who has seen plenty of action but never
gets used to it. Lt. Col. Gordon Tall (Nick Nolte) is the commanding officer
who pushes his men to the limit of endurance. Private Witt (James Caviezel),
habitually AWOL, is unable to reconcile the beauty around him with the insanity
of the situation. And Capt. James Staros (Elias Koteas) is the officer who
endeavors to protect his men from needless carnage, even if it means defying
orders. We glimpse the lives of these men and many others on varying levels
of intimacy.
Mainly set on the tropical island of Guadalcanal (the site of some of
the fiercest fighting in the war), the film deals with the company's pursuit
of the elusive Japanese through the palm trees and elephant grass. This
starts with an amphibious landing like the one at the beginning of Ryan,
but these soldiers find no rain of bullets on the beach. The fighting doesn't
start until they make their way farther inland, toward the enemy's hidden
bunkers. Director Malick's slow and steady pace gets us used to the physically
and emotionally exhausting nature of war, where one can never expect what
will happen in the next moment. There are long periods of quiet, many images
of local wildlife and island natives, but the tension is always present
(thanks in part to Hans Zimmer's masterful musical score), and one can feel
the palpable sense of danger even while looking into the eyes of an island
bird or a small mammal clinging to a tree.
Voiceovers of poetry and philosphical musings add to the unearthly atmosphere.
The subjects of immortality and honor, the origins of evil, and the many
battles of nature are eloquently contemplated by the voice of an anonymous
soldier even as we see the imagery that might provoke such insights.
The absence of a central figure or definite plot line may be this film's only weakness. Though it is an intentional device designed to convey the tedium and random nature of the subject, it sometimes causes a sense of stalling or a lack of focus, especially since the film is nearly three hours in length. One can see some subtle borrowings from such war classics as Apocalypse Now and Platoon, but nothing so blatant as to be construed as copying those films' styles. The acting is superb throughout, and the authenticity is certainly there. The late author Jones, who also wrote the novels that inspired From Here To Eternity and The Longest Day, would be proud to see this highly thoughtful version of his work. ****½