The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick, is a film that fictionalizes the Battle of Mount Austen: a violent confrontation between American soldiers and the Imperial Japanese, taking place during World War II. The Thin Red Line has an impressive lineup of stars including Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Elias Koteas, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, John Travolta, George Clooney, just to name a few. Although the film doesn't exactly specify who the main protagonist, Jim Caviezel and Sean Penn share the most screen time, and ultimately steal the show.

The one thing that sets The Thin Red Line apart from other contemporary war films is its philosophical viewpoint. All throughout the film there are voice-overs (from Caviezel's and Nick Nolte's characters in particular), that talk about the meaning of life and death, the origin of love, and the capricious violence of nature. These voice-overs soften the blow of the on-screen violence, and accompanied by the gorgeous cinematography of the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, plus Hans Zimmers uniquely beautiful score, the film focuses on the consequences, aftermath and the emotion of the violence we see, rather than the barbarity itself.

Some of the philosophical passages may become tiresome, and at times it seems that they're just trying to confuse you with eloquent language and abstract ideas. This is justified by the strong, authentic performances from its stars (Caviezel in particular), and the engaging dialect between the soldiers. This is a visually stunning, decidedly human epic that stops just before it becomes too much.

What Can I say this film is amazing, it has it all.

Beautiful cinematography, characters, music

Every time I watch this film I get a sense of despair, yet hope..

I do not understand why the score is so low for this film? I mean can someone explain?

I highly recommend this film if you enjoy war, drama...

The music is beautifully composed by Hanz Zimmer,

It fits the mood of the scenes, nature, war, being far from home..

I would recommend buying the Blu ray version as it looks amazing in 1080p and also the sound is incredible.

Give it some time as it's a fairly long film at 2 hours and 50 minutes.., but trust me you will love it

I'm very sorry I didn't get to see this film in the theatre. It is a beautifully filmed masterpiece with a superb story, excellent acting (esp. Nick Nolte), and a great script. It takes things way deeper than Saving Private Ryan or most other modern war movies dare to go. Very introspective and dreamy at times, with the camera constantly dwelling on faces, animals, and the landscape. Merrick is never in a hurry, and this pace suits the film well.

The Thin Red Line asks a lot of good questions about death, war, and the ultimate meaning of life. Now that I have seen it, I'm very surprised that this film did not win picture of the year. Spielberg's film was a gritty, realistic portrayal of war. But it was also highly commercial and had a very contrived plot. In comparison, this film sort of wanders through itself and in the process helps to put you in the boots of the soldiers it portrays.

My only criticism is perhaps the film was a bit long, but I never noticed that the second time through. I can't praise this film enough. Excellent work.