THE AISLE SEAT - "THE THIN RED LINE"

by Mike McGranaghan

The Thin Red Line is the second WWII movie I've seen in the last 8 months. The first, of course, was Saving Private Ryan, which I picked as the best film of 1998. Despite the similarity in subject matter, the two movies could not be more different. This one is directed by Terrence Malick, the celebrated maker of Badlands and Days of Heaven. Malick hasn't made a picture in twenty years. The Thin Red Line is a deeply moral, intensely spiritual film from a gifted artist but, surprisingly, it didn't make much of an impact on me.

The film takes place during the battle of Guadalcanal. As the war is fought, we meet many different soldiers with different ranks and different circumstances. We watch them engage in bloody, terrifying conflicts and listen to their innermost thoughts in lyrical (but, quite honestly, confusing) voiceovers. Some of the men talk to God, some to their wives back home, some just to themselves. Every so often - as a counterpoint to the battle at hand - Malick cuts to a bird or other animal as a way of illustrating the beauty of God that occurs even in the most brutal of situations. There is a theory which states that every film has a "master shot" - a single image that encapsulates its theme. In The Thin Red Line, it is a shot of a soldier, crouched down in the grass to avoid gunfire overhead, who stops to focus on an insect perched on a blade of grass. The desire to cling to life is especially strong in the midst of war.

As the battle rages on, we get to spend a little more time with some of the characters. Nick Nolte plays a Lieutenant Colonel with very definite strategies for winning. When a Captain (Elias Koteas) disobeys an order, Nolte's reaction is surprising, and it sets off an interesting, yet subtle chain of events. Meanwhile, a sad soldier named Private Bell (Ben Chaplin) dreams of being back home with his wife, making love on a warm afternoon (if you pay careful attention, you will notice that this fantasy ultimately reveals something unexpected). Other stars include Sean Penn, John Travolta, George Clooney, and John Cusack. Their characters are not particularly well-defined. In fact, many of the biggest name stars are little more than just extras, appearing on screen for a few minutes before disappearing altogether.

One of my biggest problems with The Thin Red Line is that the characters are pretty bland. I'm sitting here trying to remember something about the two other characters who get a lot of screen time, but am unable to do so. They're that unmemorable. Many war films use the cliche of having every character be an archetype: the smart-ass city kid, the bumpkin, the egocentric leader, etc. This movie goes in the opposite direction, sucking any defining traits from the people whose story is being told. Perhaps their philosophical musings would ring more true if we felt some connection to them.

There's no denying that The Thin Red Line is more artistic and cerebral than Saving Private Ryan, which was more (for lack of a better word) action-oriented. But it was also an emotional powerhouse, making the audience realize the brutality of war. Malick's film engages the artistic senses more than the emotional ones. It is filled with breathtaking cinematography, stunningly choreographed combat scenes, and affecting imagery. If Ryan was a war story, The Thin Red Line is a war poem.

And that, I should make clear, is an impressive achievement. Although not the masterwork I had hoped for from its acclaimed director, the picture is admirably ambitious. I respected the fact that Malick is dealing with complex themes here. This is an anti-war film in every way, right down to the final two images which convey a moral weightiness unusual for a big studio release. Much like Jonathan Demme's Beloved, the film requires interpretation and contemplation. The tone and mood that Malick creates are elegiac, creating a spiritual core amidst a sea of violence.

I just wish the characters had been stronger so I could care more about their spiritual awakenings. The mega-watt talent obviously signed up just for the chance to work with a cinematic legend, but aside from Chaplin, none of them has enough screen time to make an impression. The Thin Red Line is an example of fine filmmaking technique. Its tone is masterfully conceived, stylized, and crafted. I recommend it on that basis. But it's a movie that I admired more than liked.

( out of four)

The Thin Red Line is rated R for realistic war violence, profanity, and sexuality. The running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes.