Review of The Thin Red Line (1998) by Amheretojudge — 27 Aug 2018

Not everyone is smart enough..

The Thin Red Line The Thin Red Line is a character driven war drama that is depicted through Malick's sweat drop precision lens. The scrutiny in here may not be as convoluted but the methodology that it adaptsnot everyone is smart enough..

The Thin Red Line.

The Thin Red Line is a character driven war drama that is depicted through Malick's sweat drop precision lens. The scrutiny in here may not be as convoluted but the methodology that it adapts is fascinating to the core. The narrative is strong, layered and thought provoking if not gripping, where its elaborative journey that is of around three hours, is advantageous. The battle sequences are shot with jaw dropping camera work and nail biting choreography that aptly portrays the battlefield of war. The cinematography is metaphorical with neat and clean visuals, live locations and bright colors that lights up the screen like never before. Zimmer's sensational background score and sharp sound effects of all the bullets, explosions, soldiers panting, rivers flowing and birds chirping, every bit of it factors in effectively to the bigger picture. The script might be divided into various sequences whose structure is transparent for the audience, something that may not be feasible for the makers. The performances are mostly scattered in bits and pieces but the show stealers would definitely be Penn, Nolte, Brody and Caviezel. Malick's adaptation is mature since he blends it in with his own ingredients that may not be crispy but is tender and husky to respect the genre and premise. His eerie execution always goes through the roof, since each anticipated emotions does carry out of the screen and rains all over the audience. Cut throating politics, morality conflicts and exceptional one liners that digs in deep are the high points of the feature. Malick's world is not bold and waiting to show off, it is sensible and calculative and as a character quotes in the beginning, "not everyone is smart enough". The Thin Red Line might have a weak line but it undeniably is three dimensional and it is inexplicably glorifying to see it come alive.