The Thin Red Line Review
by Ryan Davis (rjdavis AT ezy DOT net)January 27th, 1999
Review: A Thin Red Line
Rated “R”
A Review by: Ryan Davis
It was hard to watch a World War II film without comparing it to Spielburg’s epic “Saving Private Ryan.” Since both films were released in 1998 and both dealt with the horror of war, comparison is unavoidable. While “A Thin Red Line” is a solid film that has some strong features, it doesn’t touch the audience like SPR did.
The plot is very loosely strung together; it’s like the camera just follows around a group of soldiers. Sgt. Edward Welsh (Sean Penn) is a tough as nails career soldier; war is his life. Capt. James 'Bugger' Staros (Elias Koteas) is a captain who refuses to risk the lives of his troops, unnecessarily. Lt. Col. Gordon Tall (Nick Nolte) is a officer, who has been passed over so many times for general that he sees the war as his last chance at earning his stars. The list could go on and on, but most of the characters are in and out of the picture so fast you won’t even get attached to any of them. There are also tons of cameos from stars, like John Travolta to George Clooney.
That is the main problem with “A Thin Red Line”, lack of character development. There are just too many characters. Since we don’t know anyone well enough to care about them, we don’t care what happens to them in the end. There are other weaknesses as well, including running time and narration. “A Thin Red Line” is way too long, or maybe it’s just the fact that it runs forever without any development. Then there are the endless voiceovers by at least four different characters. This becomes tiresome, really quickly.
Not just to focus just on flaws, “A Thin Red Line” is still an above average film. It’s chock-full of great performances, with the leading standout being Nick Nolte’s Oscar worthy performance. Also the cinematography is just beautiful and the battle scenes are outstanding.
While “A Thin Red Line” isn’t the masterpiece that “Saving Private Ryan” was, it is still a worthwhile film. If you have a good amount of time and you don’t mind spending it in the theater, check it out.
Grade: B-
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