The thin red line

daveg · 05-12-2003 9:31am #1

Did anyone watch it last night? I have to say this is one of my top 5 films of all time (last night wasn't the first time viewing the film).

Excellent direction. Superb acting (Nick Nolte is superb). One of the best soundtracks, and what a cast.

The_Goose · 05-12-2003 9:32am

Its what war is really like(i d say) no hero s or mission just devastation!

davej · 05-12-2003 9:34am

Yep this is a great film. I think the producers tried to sell it as something it was not at the time which caused a lot of damage. If you are interested in seeing a "war" movie that's meditative and intelligent I highly recommend it.

davej

red vex · 05-12-2003 9:56am

im not so sure about it. great acting in it and its very thoughtful but i dont think it a GREAT film. just compare it to the likes of apocalypse now

TwoShedsJackson · 05-12-2003 10:03am

Ponderous, pretentious shite. Oh it's yet another shot of the sun streaming through a jungle canopy :rolleyes:

Great soundtrack though.

Draco · 05-12-2003 10:13am

It just drags and drags and drags. Can't stand it myself.

DapperGent · 05-12-2003 10:38am

It's one of the most unusual films I have ever seen, when I went to see it in the cinema one person I was with described it as "Watching a book" , which is a very good description. They didn't mean it as a compliment but I enjoyed the film immensely on that level.

As a film trying to tell as story in the generic sense it is a failure, but I don't that's what it was trying to do. As an audio-visual experience it's amazing. I'm very fond of it.

RicardoSmith · 05-12-2003 10:56am

I'm not sure if I like it or not. Looks and sounds fantastic. But I'm not sure it tells a story. Platoon or Where Eagles Dare are probably my favorite war films.

patch · 05-12-2003 11:28am

Brilliant movie.
For me, any movie that is flawlessly acted, looks and sounds amazing and is interesting gets top marks. The movie kind of washes over you.
I see it as a very simple drama, which happens to be set during a war, not so much a direct war movie.

satchmo · 05-12-2003 12:23pm

It's soooo sloooooww, I wouldn't rate it at all. Some scenes are good (the bit when they're trying to take the mg bunker on the side of a hill), but overall it's just such a drag I'd never be able to bring myself to watch it again.

Full Metal Jacket, now there's a war film.

Ichiro · 05-12-2003 12:41pm

Jim Cavizel (not sure if that's right)
Was brilliant.
Great film Sean Penn was outstanding
A film of Ordinary men fighting a horrible war.

What did you all think of Jared Leto's Cameo
2 seconds in and he gets picked off by a Japanese sniper "unlucky mate"

the scenes with the Long grass where nasty i felt, they could'nt see anything
and the Director ( Terence ????) really got the Feeling right nervous and tense.

In my top ten

shotamoose · 05-12-2003 1:13pm

You do occasionally wonder if this film is taking the piss, like when it just refuses to end, instead wandering off so another random grunt can wonder "what is life, really?" where you or I would probably be thinking "how can i get these insects out of my pants?".

And the cameos are just ridiculous - George Clooney 'starring' for 15 seconds, John Travolta strutting around staring meaningfully into the distance while Nick Nolte fumes silently beside him, Jared Leto going "Hi - ouch, my head!".

But there's amazing bits. The first shot - that alligator sliding into some muck - is a great way to start a film. And the beginning sequence with the islanders is great. John Cusack is brilliant. Haven't a clue what happens in the last half hour, though.

Jim · 05-12-2003 1:40pm

yeah, good, not great.

band of brothers still ranks as my top and most realistic wwII piece.

Sleipnir · 05-12-2003 1:42pm

Originally posted by Jimeatsmenu
yeah, good, not great.

band of brothers still ranks as my top and most realistic wwII piece.

you got that right. Have the collection on DVD.
Have you read the book, if not I would advise picking up a copy.

daveg · 05-12-2003 1:54pm

I agree with some folks that the story is tiring. Personally I think this is because the story is a little bit more complicated than say Platoon. I quote:

" Based on the novel by James Jones, THE THIN RED LINE tells the story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. The story takes place as Army troops are moved in to relieve battle-weary Marine units. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.

The story is more than a tale of men fighting a key battle, one which would ultimately stem the Japanese advance through the Pacific Islands. It explores the intense bonds that develop between men under terrible stress, even evil; to Jones, who served with an Army unit in Guadalcanal, the soldiers' feelings and emotions developed into nothing less than a sense of love...of family. The horrors of war helped them lose their idea of self and of the world around them. They were no longer fighting solely for patriotic reasons or the larger world and its issues which had brought them there; they were fighting for survival and for the men next to them".

I think this sums up the film well. The film should not be viewed as a war story but more about their discovories about themselves during their hellish experience.

Devious · 05-12-2003 1:54pm

Definitely improves with repeated viewings. Have seen it 3 times, didnt like it much at first but my opinion has changed. That whole scene where they run riot through the jap encampment is just amazing. Powerful stuff.

patch · 05-12-2003 2:04pm

Originally posted by Ichiro

and the Director ( Terence ????) really got the Feeling right nervous and tense.

Terence Malik directed it. He has only ever made three movies. Badlands was his first, Days of Heaven was his next.
The guy makes a movie every fifteen years or so. They are all fantastic movies.
I like his style, narration unfolding over (sometimes rambling, but always beautiful) imagery, plays a big part in his work.
Very much a matter of taste though. As this thread is proving. A tad arty for some regular folk maybe.

therecklessone · 05-12-2003 4:11pm

All I'll say is...great film.

Liver-Lips · 05-12-2003 4:20pm

Band of Brothers???

I thought it was pure american ****e. garbage. damn it, get better taste.

think the thin red line is stunning. and i like that description about watching a book. it really does the film justice. its a great tired, hang-over film. just sit in and watch it over an evening and you just come out thinking clearer or something.

a much better piece of work than saving private ryan. now thats pretentious, patriotic american bulls**t! i mean for a film that was touted as being so real and gritty to mix that realism with this pure joke of a storyline that the U.S. army cares about its troops and will sacrifice the lives of others to "bring back our boy". made me so angry.
the final tear jerking scene with the dying hanks saying "earn it, earn it". useless.

eager to hear opinions.

jaggeh · 05-12-2003 4:30pm

thin red line was ponderous at best, john cusacks character was a saving point, the reluctant hero.

the cameo's imo were an attempt at saying 'look we got an all star cast arent we great'

Any of the classics would easily blow this out of the airwaves, personally i would have preferred to have watched 3 hours of 'the longest day' last night then thin red line.

as to band of brothers, if your description doesnt incluide the words 'this is a work of art' then you obviously arent worth talking to (and BOB was made by hbo and BBC)

DapperGent · 05-12-2003 4:43pm

Originally posted by Liver-Lips
a much better piece of work than saving private ryan. now thats pretentious, patriotic american bulls**t! i mean for a film that was touted as being so real and gritty to mix that realism with this pure joke of a storyline that the U.S. army cares about its troops and will sacrifice the lives of others to "bring back our boy". made me so angry.

I'm not disagreeing with you but the rescue team sent out for the last surviving brother bit is actually based on truth.

For myself I think Saving Private Ryan is a mixture of stunning set pieces with hacknyed trash. The set pieces like the beach landing and the defense of the town are fantastic cinema but the storyline is weak and when the dialogue and characterisation gets bad it gets really bad.

patch · 05-12-2003 4:47pm

Originally posted by jaggeh

the cameo's imo were an attempt at saying 'look we got an all star cast arent we great'
)

Actually, the people most pissed off at the cameo's were the stars themselves.
They had bigger parts, but most of what they did ended up on the cutting room floor.
All were still delighted to have worked with the director though.
My point being, your observation is incorrect.

RicardoSmith · 05-12-2003 4:52pm

Have to say I don't rate Saving Private Ryan at all. Too Hollywood.

Band of Brothers is good, but its a series not a movie. Band of brothers is about a US company and is very focused on the "Company" unit. and it does that well. I don't really thing its meant to be a traditional kind of a war "movie"

But certainly Thin Red Line is a lot better than Saving Private Ryan. But probably "Apocalypse Now" is the most similar kind of a "film" probably.

I'd rate Das Boot pretty high though. Not sure if Das Boot was originally a series or a film. As originally BBC had it has a series. I have it on VHS though. The subtitled version (of course).

I think theres a distinction to be made between something thats a movie or something thats a film. A movie is intended to have wider appeal than a film IMO. So that makes comparision between some films/movies a little unfair.

We should make a new thread with a list of all our favorite war movies. I love all those old B&W movies. Theres a list here. Can't understand why Private Ryan gets to the top. http://www.geocities.com/warmoviedatabase/

patch · 05-12-2003 5:11pm

That's a good list alright, nice to see Big Red One on there, must look it up again.
However, where the hell is Catch 22? That's a class movie.
I don't see castle Keep either.

Pepe LeFrits · 05-12-2003 6:20pm

It's alright. It really drags though, very boring at times. I can see why film critics love it. Film critics are tossers though.

Retr0gamer · 05-12-2003 6:44pm

I didn't like this film at all. The action set pieces are top notch but the dialogue was so pretentious and arty that it seemed like it was written by a group of university monkeys from The View. No young soldier would talk the way the grunts in this film talked.

Saving Private Ryan has a lot of flaws but i rate it as a better film.

Band of Brothers beats them both hands down.

ObeyGiant · 05-12-2003 7:48pm

Originally posted by Retr0gamer
No young soldier would talk the way the grunts in this film talked.

If you honestly believe this, I think it's high time you turned off every TV in your house and even gave the ol' video games a rest for a wee while. You owe it to yourself to do this.

Retr0gamer · 08-12-2003 11:00am

I thought it was silly that every soldier in the film talked like they swallowed a book of poetry. Give me the crudeness of full metal jacket over the this pretentious dialogue any day.

ObeyGiant · 08-12-2003 11:06am

Originally posted by Retr0gamer
I thought it was silly that every soldier in the film talked like they swallowed a book of poetry. Give me the crudeness of full metal jacket over the this pretentious dialogue any day.

Oh, I understood what you meant alright. You didn't have to just paraphrase what you originally said. I stand by my original statement.

Lump · 08-12-2003 1:12pm

Didn't like it, no reasons, just not a film I liked/enjoyed.

John

The thin red line

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