Plot: What’s it about?
As men battle in war and risk their lives each minute, they begin to create bonds with their fellow soldiers, which enable them to keep fighting and remain human in the middle of the carnage. As the American soldiers readied to fight in the battle of Guadalcanal, these bonds were needed more than ever and in the case of one platoon, the bonds were like concrete. This specific team of soldiers is mostly very young men, who were brought in to relieve the Marines in the area, since this battle is so important to stopping the Japanese invasion in the Pacific. The focus of this brutal conflict is an airfield, as whoever controls it can control the air space for a whole lot of sky, which is a valuable tool indeed. As these men push forward and battle on, they begin to forge very close bonds and soon enough, become a tightly knit family of sorts. The reasons for fighting seem to drift away and soon, the men battle to just survive and preserve their bonds, but can these men survive this inferno within the war?
This is the second disc for The Thin Red Line and while not much is different, this one is the disc of choice. I am a little let down that Fox removed the Melanesian songs from this version, but since I didn’t use them much, I suppose it is a small price to pay in the end. This movie is a terrific war flick and though it was released in the same year as Saving Private Ryan, this one stands just as tall. I’ve always liked The Thin Red Line better than Private Ryan, but I think both are more than solid efforts. But where Spielberg is a mass consumption director, Terrence Malick is a visual genius and that is what gives this movie a wide margin of superiority. With an excellent cast that includes Nick Nolte, John Cusack, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, and more, The Thin Red Line has a lot of character depth present. The sometimes haunting visuals showcase the Pacific in grand form, you can get lost in the lush landscapes sometimes, as they are shot so well here. If you own the first disc and you don’t need DTS, then I recommend you hold onto your current disc. But if you need DTS or simply don’t own the title yet, then this is the disc of choice, whether you rent or purchase.
Man, talk about a loaded cast, this movie has a star studded selection of talent involved. As usual, Sean Penn (Sweet and Lowdown, The Game) turns in a solid performance and while he is good alone, he shines when playing off the other actors. His banter is terrific here and though he is sometimes overshadowed by other cast members, his performance is still very strong here. Also in fine form here is Nick Nolte (Blue Chips, The Prince of Tides), who adds another good work to his resume. Nolte seems pretty deep into his character at times, which allows a lot of depth to be seen, very solid work indeed. The rest of this gifted cast also includes John Cusack (High Fidelity, Grosse Pointe Blank), Adrien Brody (Summer of Sam, Oxygen), Dash Mihok (The Perfect Storm, Foxfire), James Caviezel (Frequency, Any Given Sunday), George Clooney (From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, One Fine Day), Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers, EdTv), John C. Reilly (Magnolia, For Love of The Game), Jared Leto (Fight Club, American Psycho), Ben Chaplin (The Truth About Cats & Dogs), and Elias Koteas (Crash, Exotica).
Video: How does it look?
As is the case with most Criterion titles, “The Thin Red Line” has been given a brand new “Director Approved” transfer that greatly improves on the original one we saw on DVD. The 2.35:1 AVC HD image is very sleek looking, giving way to bright colors, a flawless artifact-free image that simply radiates beauty. Malick and cinematographer John Toll certainly know how to paint a picture with the camera as “The Thin Red Line” is a veritable tapestry of imagery. Flesh tones appear to be normal and contrast and detail seem to be improved over the original DVD. This Blu-ray makes the film look as if it were made yesterday and that is most certainly a good thing.
Audio: How does it sound?
“The Thin Red Line” had two audio options on standard DVD (available separately, of course) with both a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a DTS version as well. This Blu-ray now features a DTS HD Master audio track that sounds very rich and full. At the time, this came out around the same time that “Saving Private Ryan” came out and while this isn’t much of a comparison in regards to the aforementioned title, “The Thin Red Line” does have its moments. The ambiance provided by the uncompressed soundtrack gives way to some of the more loud moments (it is a war movie, after all) and I’m pleased to say that the soundtrack never sounds forced. Dialogue is very crisp and sharp as well. On the whole it’s a nice mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
“The Thin Red Line” has never been robust in terms of supplements, but this new Blu-ray has put an end to the “supplement battle” that’s been raging for the last decade. First off, we get a newly recorded commentary track with Cinematographer John Toll, production designer Jack Fisk and producer Grant Hill. To be honest, this track was rather bland and I’d have liked to have Malick involved, but this wasn’t the case. We get some interviews with some of the ensemble cast with the likes of Jim Caviezel, Thomas Jane, Elias Koteas and Sean Penn. A brand new interview with the casting director Dianne Crittenden is also included as well as some archived footage of audition tapes and so forth. We get nearly fifteen minutes of outtakes and I’m happy to say that the Meleanesian songs (chants if you will) are now back from the first DVD. The original theatrical trailer is also included as is a booklet with an essay by critic David Sterritt. Suffice it to say that if you’ve been waiting for an upgraded version of “The Thin Red Line” then your wait is now over.
