The Thin Red Line

1998 had two big name World War II movies released. Those were Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line. There has been debate on which is better, but I can't say which one is better just yet.

In 1943, the first major US offensive of World War II is drawing to a close on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal. To put an end to this campaign, the United States Army arrives with a full division of troops and equipment, deployed to break the last resistance of the Japanese. The exploits of the division are seen from a number of perspectives amongst the soldiers to include war weary Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn); power hungry Lt. Col. Tall (Nick Nolte); Pvt. Witt (James Caviezel), who has known only desertion and AWOL; and Capt. Staros (Elias Koteas), who is struggling with his abilities as a leader.

The cast for The Thin Red Line is star-studded. Along with Penn, Nolte and Caviezel, the cast includes Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson and John Cusack in supporting roles, and John Travolta, Tim Blake Nelson and George Clooney in bit parts. Most war movies are excellent character studies since they show what a certain character does in a situation where their life literally depends on it. And The Thin Red Line is just that. Terrence Malick's eye for beauty in every image just blew me away in this. War is hell, but there is also a beauty in it.

My Rating: *****

Badlands

Impressed but not blown away by Days of Heaven and The New World, I was nervous if I was going to like The Thin Red Line. But I was told by a fellow blogger that I should see Badlands before The Thin Red Line otherwise I wouldn't like it.

After murdering her father, Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen) and Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek) hit the road and go on a killing spree.

One of the differences that Badlands has and Days of Heaven and The New World don't is that Badlands has a faster pace, something which I like. It's actually based on the  case of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, who were responsible for nine murders back in 1958 (the producers had to change names to avoid a lawsuit from the soon-to-be paroled Fugate). The work from Sheen (whom I almost didn't recognize) and Spacek is very good. Malick has finally captured my interest for his movies. Now I'm really looking forward to The Thin Red Line as well as The Tree of Life, whenever the hell that gets released.

My Rating: ****1/2

The New World

Terrence Malick is an interesting director. He has been in the business for decades, yet he only has four movies to his name.

When 17th century explorer John Smith (Colin Farrell) and a few men go up the river to trade with the Indians, he befriends the princess Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher) and they fall in love. Their love gets in the way of the duties. When Smith is ordered to leave Jamestown by the King, wealthy tobacco planter John Rolfe (Christian Bale) arrives at the fort. Pocahontas falls apart deciding who she is dedicated to, Smith or Rolfe.

Although visually stunning, I found The New World a little slow for me to really like. I'm not saying I didn't like it. I really liked Farrell and Bale's performances, as well as the cinematography. It's just the pacing made me a little bored. If you're a Malick fan, this is for you.

My Rating: ****

Days of Heaven

Most movies are noted for something that makes it memorable. Jaws had its score, Citizen Kane had its cinematic shots and Days of Heaven had its cinematography.

Bill (Richard Gere) and Abby (Brooke Adams), a young couple who to the outside world pretend to be brother and sister, are living and working in Chicago at the beginning of the century. They want to escape the poverty and hard labor of the city and travel south. Together with Bill's yonger sister Linda (Linda Manz) (who acts as the narrator), they find employment on a farm in the Texas Panhandle. When the harvest is over, the young, rich, handsome farmer (Sam Shepard) invites them to stay because he has fallen in love with Abby. When Bill and Abby discover that the farmer is seriously ill and has only one year left to live, they decide that Abby will accept his marriage proposal in order to make some benefit out of the situation. When the expected death fails to come, jealousy and impatience are slowly setting in and accidents become eventually inevitable.

Although the cinematography is stunning, it pretty much covers up a weak plotline. The acting is moderate at best. Terrence Malick's direction was good though.

My Rating: ****