the thin red line ( m ) . ( twentieth century fox ) director : terrence malick stars : sean penn , nick nolte , jim caviezel , john cusack , elias koteas , woody harrelson , ben chaplin , jared leton , adrien brody , george clooney , john c reilly , john travolta , john savage , arie verveen , dash mihok running time : 171 minutes . writer/director terrence malick can hardly be called prolific . he made only two films ( the critically acclaimed badlands and days of heaven ) in the mid-'70's , before taking a self imposed twenty year hiatus from hollywood . his first film in two decades is one of the most eagerly anticipated cinema events this side of the new star wars film . while it is certainly visually impressive , malick's the thin red line is something of a disappointment , especially when compared with spielberg's achievement in the recent devastating and unforgettable saving private ryan . based on the novel by james jones , the thin red line deals with us forces fighting the japanese army at guadalcanal , a bitter and costly campaign that became one of the turning points of w . w . ii . however , malick's epic war film is a different animal to spielberg's . unlike spielberg , malick doesn't immediately hurtle us into the inferno of battle . instead , he lulls us into the brutality of war through an extended prologue . witt ( jim caviezel ) , an awol soldier , lives in short-lived tranquillity in a peaceful native village somewhere in the pacific . he becomes part of the massive us landing force at guadalcanal . the film's centrepiece is the extended and savage campaign to destroy japanese machine gun fortifications and take a crucial hill . this often graphic and quite harrowing battle occupies over half of the film's three hour running time . however , the action lacks the intensity and ferocity of spielberg's recreation of the fury of warfare . it also seems to lack that gritty air of authenticity that seemed to effectively suck audiences into the maelstrom . the combat scenes give the audience the extremes of heroism . but malick is also concerned with showing the madness of battle fatigue , and the film depicts the senseless loss of life and futile carnage of the war . the thin red line is almost a profound and almost poetic meditation on the nature of war and how it poisons man's soul . there's nothing noble about this bloody conflict , and , ultimately , there are no winners . the film was shot on location , partly in tropical far north queensland as well as in the solomon islands . such is malick's reputation that he had a veritable who's who of hollywood queuing up for small roles , including john travolta , john cusack , woody harrelson , george clooney , and sean penn . unfortunately , though , few of the characters leave a lasting impact on the audience , and i found that i didn't really care about them or their fate . nick nolte is dynamic as the obsessed and driven colonel who relishes his first opportunity to fight a war after fifteen years in the army , and who doesn't care how many men have to lose their lives in securing a vital strategic position . caviezel brings a human face to the film as witt , the reluctant soldier who ultimately becomes a hero when tested in battle . the thin red line is certainly malick's most epic and ambitious film to date , and it is as meticulously crafted and evocative as his previous work . he gives this war film an almost elegiac quality and a rare humanity . his sweeping vision is complemented by the spectacularly gorgeous cinematography of dual oscar winner john toll and the haunting score from hans zimmer . 
