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The Thin Red Line [Blu-ray] [Criterion Collection]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Terrence Malick returns to Hollywood after a two-decade hiatus with this adaptation of the classic WWII novel by James Jones. The story follows the efforts of an army platoon to capture the Japanese-controlled island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific Ocean, which will have a major effect on the outcome of the war. The members of C-for-Charlie Company are all fighting for different reasons: some to achieve glory, some to fight for democracy, and some simply to remain alive. They spend the quieter moments reflecting upon their existence, searching for meaning amid the senselessness of war. Malick's reputation as one of cinema's most brilliant directors, based on his masterworks BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN, enabled him to pull together one of the largest ensemble all-star casts in Hollywood history. The result is a sprawling epic that carries itself like a poem read in a dream, a feeling that is greatly enhanced by John Toll's floating camerawork and Hans Zimmer's haunting score. Rather than concentrating solely on the violence and destruction of war, Malick uses the situation to address philosophical questions such as man versus nature, war versus peace, and good versus evil. THE THIN RED LINE proves that after a 20-year layoff, Malick hasn't lost a step.
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Credits

Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, James Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Travolta, Jared Leto, Woody Harrelson, John Savage, John Cusack, Tim Blake Nelson, John C. Reilly, Arie Verveen, David Harrod, Nick Stahl, Thomas Jane, Miranda Otto, Dash Mihok
Critic Reviews

"...Malick's return is a cause for celebration. His harsh, haunting film shuns the platitudes to expose war as a crime against nature..."
Rolling Stone
"...An extraordinary achievement....THE THIN RED LINE is hugely effective as a film about the absurdity of war..."
Sight and Sound
"...[A] masterpiece of poetic flourish and grand ambition..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Total Film
"...Terrence Malick's first movie since 1978's DAYS OF HEAVEN is just as sensual, subliminally stirring and magnificently photographed..." -- 4 out of 4 stars
USA Today
"...[Malick's] intoxication with natural beauty, fused so palpably with the psychic sleepwalking of his human characters, remains exactly as it was....Here is a visceral reminder of all that made his past work so hauntingly majestic..."
New York Times
"...A monumental accomplishment....THE THIN RED LINE must be seen, felt and remembered to be fully appreciated. And for those willing to rise to the occasion, the reward is beyond compare..." -- 5 out of 5 stars
Box Office
"...Malick has retained his eye for crystalline images, and a facility for camera movement so fluid as to seem almost thought-activated..."
Los Angeles Times
"...The battle scenes themselves are masterful..."
Chicago Sun-Times