The Thin Red Line (1998), Terrence Malick, A

Of Terrence Malick’s three perfect films (this, Days of Heaven and The New World) this is the one with the most problems, but it is also the most ambitious. There are the occasional moments of dialogue that feel unnecessary, maybe a little hackneyed. But maybe, in the long run, that works. This is, after all, a World War II pic, and the usual “who decides who dies?” anguish from a battlefield survivor is just about the only marker we have to connect this to the other war flicks we’ve seen. What is The Thin Red Line about? A story told from the land’s point of view? A double reflection of the men outside themselves, thinking one thing and doing another? A conversation with God? A rebuke of God? A demand for God to speak now or forever hold his peace? It is impossible to watch The Thin Red Line without getting very philosophical. It is too beautiful and horrible a picture. A common complaint is that there is no protagonist — characters float in and out. This is partially true. John C. Reilly, Adrian Brody and Tim Blake Nelson are in a lot of the shots but get, seriously, one or two lines in the whole production. John Cusak is only in ten minutes of the film but he acts like he’s the star of the film, then kinda receeds into the background. If you can’t see how this is a) awesome in general and b) awesome when dealing with the fundamental and basic tale of man’s organized conflict with other men, then you’ve got problems.

Malick’s film, to me, is about the war between man and nature. Changes to the physical world around him, yes, but also man’s innate nature to want to do good and pressures forcing him to do otherwse. Stanley Milgram would have had a field day with this movie. A righteous, perhaps overly sensitive man refuses to send men to a futile death, but changes his mind when he’s confronted with the prospect of: getting yelled at. These are the powerful decisions in the human world – Malick contrasts this with the vines, birds and beasts of the jungle. Which system is “right”?

Lastly, I’m dying to know if the sun-emerging-from-clouds shots were faked or were serendipitous shooting. If anyone knows, please tell me.