Date: Fri 22-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHIRLE

Quick Words:

Playing-Thin-Red-Line-Malick

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING: A War Film That Demands Some Enduring Digestion

By Trey Paul Alexander III

It's inevitable, unavoidable. Images and recollections of Steven Spielberg's

Saving Private Ryan , hailed over the summer as arguably the greatest World

War II movie ever, loom over one's viewing of The Thin Red Line , reclusive

director Terrence Malick's first film in 20 years and only third overall. It's

a shame, really, for my sense is only years later may we be able to give The

Thin Red Line a fresh look and appreciate what is unfolding without also

giving thought of comparison to Spielberg's blistering, unforgettable motion

picture. But the truth is, Malick's film, precisely because it takes a subtle,

elusive and impressionist approach versus Spielberg's immediate, jolting,

punch-to-the-guts epic, must take a back seat... for now.

Based on James Jones' 1962 novel of the same name, The Thin Red Line gives

account of US forces' battle against Japanese troops at Guadalcanal. This

clash to establish a dominant, decisive presence in the Pacific is conveyed by

following a group of American riflemen, called Charlie Company, as they storm

the island and seek to wrest control of it from enemy powers.

There is a wide collection of characters and an assortment of parts used to

communicate Malick's vision to viewers, but its all rather disorienting and

difficult to determine who's who and what's what as we progress through the

film. For that matter, when Malick opens the film with a sequence of a US

private (solid newcomer Jim Caviezel) frolicking peacefully with island

natives, we're unsure whether we've dropped into the story in medias re , or

if this is a flash-forward, flash-back or a dream. It's actually an immediate

indication this is no Saving Private Ryan , which opened by thrusting us into

a protracted, gory depiction of the invasion of Normandy (and thus stunned us

by sending us directly into vivid images of the horrors of war). Instead, The

Thin Red Line asks us to question at what, and whom, are we looking?

To be sure, the film is inhabited by some engrossing character moments: Nick

Nolte is searing as Lt Col Tall, who clashes with Capt Staros (Elias Koteas)

and is infuriated over the captain's hesitation to follow orders to send men

further into conflict; Sean Penn is strong as the steely yet humane Sgt Welsh;

and as a lowly private who dreams of previous days in the embrace of his wife,

Ben Chaplin also makes an impression. Yet there are just as many nameless

faces who barely register -- not due to any incompetence in their portrayal

but a lack of real delineation -- and a sense of distraction with some of the

cameos, which seem less about propelling the purposes of the film forward than

causing the audience, as they did during my showing, to whisper, "Hey, isn't

that George Clooney?" or "Look, it's John Travolta!"

Despite my difficulties with the film -- which includes an oft-confusing

rendition of voice-over narration, meant to convey characters' inner thoughts,

that is yet occasionally trying as we attempt to pinpoint whom exactly is

speaking -- there is no denying the inestimable talent of

director/screenwriter Malick and his singular vision. Enlisting

cinematographer John Toll, who turns in some terrific and stunning work,

Malick effectively conveys the jarring contrast between the beauty of the

island, and indeed of nature itself, and the carnage of war and its machinery

and man's place within both. Undeniably hard to grasp and somewhat perplexing

to access, The Thin Red Line , rated R for violence and profanity, deserves

multiple viewings to be fully appreciated. It's unfortunate it follows Saving

Private Ryan (itself an experience few desire to absorb several times), thus

potentially tapping out our collective ability to be patient with a war film

that demands enduring digestion.