Almost 30 years since its was released a ar film from the 1990s has reduced Disney+ viewers to tears, with some hailing it the greatest war film ever made.
The Thin Red Line is a 1998 war film written and directed by Terrence Malick and tells the story of a fictionalised version of the Battle of Mount Austen during the Second World War. The Academy Award-nominated film features an A-list cast, including Adrien Brody, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson and John Travolta.
Based on the autobiographical novel by James Jones’, the film focuses on the 1943 conflict at Guadalcanal, where the United States Army arrives to break the last resistance of the Japanese. An exhausting fight puts the men through hell, physically and emotionally, and scenes reveal the true horrors of war from their perspective.
An IMDB summary explains: The reasons for this war get further away as the world for the men gets smaller and smaller until their fighting is for mere survival and the life of the other men with them.” It’s these “harrowing” scenes that had viewers gripped by their TVs.
A critic shared their thoughts on Rotten Tomatoes: “Majestic, harrowing. A feat, an example of the beautiful heights that the art of cinema can reach. The only movie to ever move me to tears out of sheer beauty, which might sound counterintuitive because this is a movie about war.”
After its well-received release and box office success, The Thin Red Line was nominated across all major categories at the 1999 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it didn’t go on to win anything that year, fans of the film believe it was “snubbed”.
Adrien Brody, who was just 23 when he starred in the film, has since spoken about his role and how it was set out to be his “big break”, but unfortunately, his scenes were significantly cut down. He confessed to GQ: “There was public embarrassment and potential career disaster affiliated with all of that…
“I didn’t know that the role had been eviscerated. Then I looked back, and I thought, How lucky I am that I averted acclaim and praise at that age.”
Film Comment issued a raving review about the film at the time. It read: “There has truly never been a film about modern war quite like this one: a kind of lyric epic poem about the way men are transformed for good by the experience of war, carefully balancing romanticism and dispassion, action and introspection.
One impressed viewer simply said it was the “most impactful film” they had ever seen, while someone else shared it was “one of the greatest war movies ever made”. They continued to say, “Beautiful cinematography and musical score! Great direction and acting. A must watch!”
For others, it seems The Thin Red Line’s impactful message about warfare was lost on them, with one reviewer claiming it had a “pretty weak plot” and was “self-indulgent”. While another film fan seemed to enjoy the movie, they wrote: “It’s no Apocalypse Now or Saving Private Ryan, but it truly stands on its own as a beautifully shot war film.”
Another unimpressed viewer also shared: “Honestly, I don’t understand any of the accolades for this film. To me it was so slow, ponderous and filled to the brim with sleep-inducing, hackneyed, boring poetic nonsense.”
The classic war film is available to watch on Disney+, but can also be rented on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and from the Sky Store.