The Thin Red Line

A few people have criticize my Tree of Life review, saying I do not understand Malick and what he trying to do with his films.  Let me respond and say his film are a meditation on natural beauty.  It has characters with an internal conflict, generally the loss of the innocence of youth.  I love Malick's ambition, and some of  his films, like The Thin Red Line.  The Thin Red Line is one of the reason why I think Malick is one of the greatest directors who has ever lived.
The Thin Red Line is about an Army Battalion in the Battle of Guadalcanal in WWII.  The leader is a stern overly ambitious Colonel is too tough for Captain Staros (Elias Koteas), head of charlie company, the two debate the idea of how many soldier is it worth to win this battle.  Also the plot centers around on a Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) who has fallen in love with the natives.  It has open him up to some kind of peace and to a beautiful light.  However his Sargent (Sean Penn) a person despaired by war often tries to bring him to what he thinks is reality. The film also explores a few other characters.  Ben Chaplin is thinking of his wife, John Cusack trying to work his way through ranks, and Adrien Brody looking scared all the time.
The film is beautiful; if its performances, its cinematography, and the music.  It also has an intensity like no other of Malick's work.  The battles scenes are masterfully structured.  The film sets a record for the amount of explosions in a film.  It is one of the greatest war films I have ever seen, a definite must see.

Rating = 98%