The Thin Red Line (1998) review

Beautiful landscapes, brutal warfare, and one question hanging over everything: when did evil enter the world? Superb filmmaking! Especially with all the real photography happening on screen. For me, it is at par with Saving Private Ryan (1998), All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), 1917 (2019), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Pearl Harbor (2001). I love the real explosions and the tactical maneuvers too. I like watching soldiers actually move through terrain, use cover, coordinate, climb hills, and slowly advance instead of the battle simply becoming random gunfire. The landscapes are beautiful, whether during the day or at night. The film is successful in making the war immersive through its atmosphere and POV, almost like I am moving through the battlefield with them. It also shows how soldiers are basically pawns in a war dictated by generals and commanding officers who are not always there to see or feel the consequences when people die, as long as they can advance in the field and win the battle. The reflections on war trauma reminded me of Jarhead (2005). It feels like an anti-war film constantly questioning what war does to people and humanity itself. Like, when did evil enter our world? For me, it became anticlimactic in the same way Apocalypse Now did. I had this awesome war film throughout the first and second acts, then the third act slows down and becomes much more reflective. I understand that this is the message of both films, but personally, I was still waiting for a cathartic payoff that felt consistent with the energy of the first and second acts to make the whole thing feel more cohesive. Watched on Disney+