Written by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack
Rating: [5/5]
Putting someone in the mindset and place to engage in an act of war for someone larger than themselves comes with the pride of defending one’s nation but at quite a personal toll. The number of veterans coming home dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder really says it all in the way they go out and act in legally inhumane ways all under the tutelage of following orders. This makes quite the moral juxtaposition and no one had better aptitude in handling this internalized dilemma than Terrence Malick in what he crafts in The Thin Red Line.
After deserting his unit and living with the natives of the Guadalcanal in the Pacific, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) gets captured by 1st Sgt. Welsh’s (Sean Penn) unit and brought back into the fold as the battle continues. As they carry on with their marching orders of reclaiming the island from the Japanese, they get met with heavy resistance with their thoughts and the yearning for home as their only reprieve.
War films glorifying the actions of those involved inherently run into some tricky territory where they display these actions under the context of horrific actions. At the end of the day, one could spend days arguing about the inherent morality of war, and even when fighting on the good side, what ground does anyone have for killing another person even through the guise of orders from a superior. Most war films try not to dive into these discussions because it makes it more difficult to have these rousing moments where we have soldiers rising up to the occasion to represent their country. It comes as no surprise Terrence Malick would love the opportunity to delve into these internal struggles and coincidentally makes one of, if not, the best war films to date.
Internal thoughts ring throughout the film as these characters contemplate their actions, this feature looks more inward at how these characters feel on top of everything happening on the outside. A battle of attrition as they try to continue to find ways to justify what transpires to themselves and how they can continue. This internal struggle has led Private Witt to go AWOL where moments of subordination transpire throughout the feature. It demonstrates a recognition of the impact of their actions on others and a refusal to simply exist as cannon fodder for others to utilize as part of a larger strategy. An embracing of humanity thrives here but the way it conflicts with nature allows for quite the contrast and holds so much power in the feature.
While these soldiers navigating the Guadalcanal certainly face adversarial pushback from the soldiers fighting under Japan but also the natural surroundings of their everyday journey. From the grass seeking to minimize contact with them and the whistling of the trees, their presence serves as an affront across the board. It hints towards this idea of this entire process serving as something unnatural to the point where nature itself recognizes the wrongs transpiring here. This envelops them making it quite difficult to meet their objectives, especially when the internal ranks begin to fracture.
Every bomb that reigns and bullet that sounds off in the distance feels like a distinct threat that makes them recede further into their minds and what their purpose represents on this island. It proves frightening in the moment as these sounds feel like a warning of an ominous future meeting them making their internalized fears worsen and question themselves in a manner the leaders simply do not want to happen. This fear and distraught truly speaks well to the surrealness of this experience and how these men can barely put into words how they feel on the outside where they have to keep it all inside to maintain some level of sanity. Quite the level of introspection and it makes me glad this feature took the time to focus on this on top of everything else it seeks to communicate.
Malick exists as one of one in how he tells stories where even his detractors would say the man has such a unique way of telling his stories. Him taking on a war film served as quite the fascinating matching of filmmaker to subject matter and the pondering nature of the feature comes as no surprise. With quite the robust runtime, he allows moments to ruminate and when the action comes forward, he excels in capturing the horror of this situation and where the character of these individuals comes to fruition. No longer do they just think about their action but now have to act upon them and the lives of their brethren sits on the line allowing there to be such a meaning to what each of them do in the feature. It makes every act of subordination with a distinct purpose because we know what they believe and enact it when the going gets tough.
Reading about the history of the casting process of this feature makes for its own story where everyone’s favorite 90s actors all clamored to get themselves in this film. You even have instances where certain actors offered to work in the movie for free to have the smallest chance to work with Malick. The individuals we do get in this feature certainly leave their mark, even with some of them having some minimal screen time outside of pointing out their presence. Nick Nolte as Lt. Col. Gordon Tall stands out in how he navigates outwardly compared to all others internally. Then you have those smaller but meaningful appearances by George Clooney, John Cusack, Tim Blake Nelson, and so many more all adding texture to the story but reinforcing once again how many people tried to squeeze themselves into this film no matter how small the part.
The year 1998 saw the release of two war films both receiving much acclaim where one hit the cultural zeitgeist much harder. This feature and Saving Private Ryan had different goals they wanted to achieve, but the introspection of The Thin Red Line allows it to stand as much more unique viewing experience as a war film. It seeks in not one second to aggrandize its characters but demonstrate what goes through their minds through this horrific experience allowing for something quite rich to amastasize by the end. Another masterwork by Terrence Malick who continually impresses with his style.
Films with Josh 
