The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line is a fascinating WWII film made in 1998, directed by Terrence Malick and acted by an all-star cast, including brilliant performances by John Cusack, Jim Caviezel, Adrien Brody, Ben Chaplin, Sean Penn, Elias Koteas, and Nick Nolte with appearances by John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson as well as cameos by George Clooney and John Travolta. The movie demonstrates a clear philosophical worldview: every man is a universe. The film follows each man as they follow their own respective fate, showing objective reality as it is, which is beyond "the human condition." Every soldier in the film experiences a similar objective reality, meaning that what happens around them is the same for each man, but the meaning it holds is different for all of them. The change in narrators throughout The Thin Red Line demonstrates how each soldier acts and reacts to the world and nature around them, following their thoughts throughout battle and down to some character's last moments before death. Pvt. Witt is the first character we meet in the film, and he is enthralled with the human conditions. He mentions while narrating the calmness that his mother demonstrated in death, and he hopes that he is able to show the same even-keeled demeanor in his last moments. The film portrays a huge connection between war and nature, showing how nature adapts to war when it ends, while human beings are unable to see things in the same light after experiencing it.

The American battle with the Japs for position at the Guadalcanal highlights the men's active attempts to create meaning in the world with the extreme situations surrounding them. Pvt. Witt wants to be one with nature, Pvt. Bell only wants to return home to his wife, who he learns has found love with another man in his absence. Lt. Col. Tall sees an objective and the necessity of its completion, while Capt. Staros sees the loss of his men as tragic and worthy of questioning the objective, which Tall finds unacceptable, costing Staros his job. Each man sees the world, the same world, differently, reminding us that objective reality is seen through subjective views, symbolized by the various narrations we hear throughout the film. Sean Penn's character, 1st Sgt. Welsh, commits an act of heroic bravery as he hustles into the midst of gunfire to comfort a dying solider, yet he desires no awards nor commendations for his actions. He is sick about the situation in which he finds himself, losing men in a war that is "all about property," as he puts it. The film hints to some men losing heart and faith, seeing the death around them, fighting for a piece of land that they are destroying in order to gain position. Tall asks Staros, how many men is the objective worth? "One man, two men, 10?" For Staros, the protection of his men is the most important thing, while Tall only wants to complete the task at hand, as he has been waiting his whole life for such a mission.

Personally the character I found most intriguing was Capt. John Gaff, played by John Cusack. He is willing to do whatever it takes to win the battle, but he does not lose sight of the humanity around him. He performs acts of heroism, yet wants the soldier's around him be commended. He wants to move forward, but demands that they receive water. Gaff represents the balance between Tall and Staros, and symbolizes the vastly separate thought processes of each man as they fight a war against the Japanese, as well as a simultaneous war within themselves.