People watch war films for all sorts of reasons – to understand history, honour those who served, or explore the human condition during some of the most harrowing periods in modern times. Over the decades, we’ve had some incredible World War 2 films, from Schindler’s List and Apocalypse Now to The Bridge on the River Kwai and Saving Private Ryan.
But some critics and experienced viewers say one film beats them all – The Thin Red Line. Directed by Terrence Malick and released in 1998, The Thin Red Line tells a fictionalised version of the Battle of Mount Austen during the Guadalcanal campaign in the Pacific. It follows soldiers of C Company, played by Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas, and Ben Chaplin. The film also features Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, John C. Reilly, and John Travolta.
Malick’s return to filmmaking after 20 years was “marked by a deeply philosophical and visually stunning production”.
The first cut reportedly took seven months to edit and ran five hours long, but the final version still spans nearly three hours, a runtime many say flies by due to its “emotional depth and beauty”.
Famous film critic Gene Siskel called it “the finest contemporary war film I’ve seen,” adding that it had “supplanted Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, or even Oliver Stone’s Platoon”.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 80% rating from both critics and audiences.
One review reads: “The Thin Red Line is an utterly captivating, nuanced, thought-provoking, and multi-layered masterpiece.
“Tied with Saving Private Ryan for favourite war movie, the emotional punch isn’t as violent but it’s almost as emotional in a more subdued way and it’s absolutely beautifully filmed.”
Another fan wrote: “It’s the greatest World War 2 masterpiece and for me I enjoyed watching it more than Saving Private Ryan. Masterpiece.”
Several viewers highlighted the film’s philosophical approach. One review said: “This movie isn’t for everybody.
“It’s a philosophical, existential questions-asking movie using war as its platform, super beautifully shot and acted and doesn’t feel like it’s almost three hours long.”
The score by Hans Zimmer is also widely praised, particularly the piece Journey to the Line.
One reviewer described the music as knowing “how to ramp up tension one minute and send you into a dreamlike state the next effortlessly”.
Another wrote: “Few films depict the physical and psychological horrors of war more than The Thin Red Line.
“All time classic, majestic, harrowing. A feat, an example of the beautiful heights that the art of cinema can reach.”
Some even called it the only movie to ever move them to tears “out of sheer beauty”, not something usually said about a war film.
The Thin Red Line is available to stream on Disney+.