The Thin Red Line

there are many films that try to truly capture the horrors of war. Full Metal Jacket and its dehumanization of its characters, Come and See with its brutal and downright illegal filmmaking to show its cruelty, and Hacksaw Ridge with its...its...uh...ok maybe not that one. but of all of them, i believe none come nearly as close to the true encapsulation of the destruction of the soul that war brings like The Thin Red Line. TTRL perfectly shows the horror of war using cinematography and music to enhance its characters. the film is entirely focused on its characters. sure, there are battle scenes and they're expertly choreographed (cuz malick) but when you compare those scenes to other war films what do you realize? all of the shots are framed around the characters. this is all because the film KNOWS that these are real people. war movies like to have a problem where they revel in the action. the big booms and the flying bodies. but what TTRL does is treat every man like they are. a man. a human being. every boom comes with a loss of life. a life stripped away. and Malick knows this. he doesn't try and show this by making each death more bloody or each shot lead to a dying monologue. he just simply focuses the frame on the people in the story. the men who are fighting for their lives. not their country. thats a bunch of shit. their lives. characters die in comedic and exaggerated ways but it doesn't make you laugh it makes you see the human element. humans are flawed, they make mistakes. they pull out grenades by the pin. they rush into battle in the heat of the moment. every death, no matter if its quick or lengthy, melodramatic or serious, feels like a death. a loss of life never to be regained. and you'll feel that sink along with the soldiers in battle. Malick is a master of making death hit so hard. to kill a human being is something you can't take back. war isn't a game. every character feels each kill within the depths of their souls. the words, "i killed a man." are mumbled and cried out. almost every soldier, no matter how small in the grand scheme, is faced with the realization of death that people can only attempt to fathom in their heads. the sight of watching a man cry for help on the floor, covered in their own blood, is not something that can be shaken. there is no such thing as numbness. the soldiers will say they feel nothing anymore. "i've been through it all bud." but its all a lie. the thoughts of not being able to take away the blood on one's hands never leaves. it never quiets. it consumes until all is left is the thoughts. the hurt. Malick knows what death is. the feeling of stripping someone's everything away from them. it's something too many films ignore. the bodies just fall. the true meaning of what's on screen is never truly realized until one watches TTRL. the cinematography is gorgeous which is a surprise to no one who knows anything about Terrence Malick. every shot is so beautiful it almost feels like there's some beauty and love to gained from all the death and destruction. nature's effect on the cinematography is the best part. at first it seems luscious. beautiful trees and lakes. insects and animals are everywhere and they show the beauty of life. but once we're in the shit, nature's dark underbelly is shown. characters who were lovingly swimming in waterfalls are reduced to sipping muddy water out of their hands. trying to connect with the people they once knew who are now seen covered in famine and malaria. beautiful grass acts as barriers and killzones. nature changes with the film's characters. the music is such an essential part of them film. Hanz Zimmer deserves everything for this score. every emotion the film tries to convey is boosted 100x by this score. the music alone made me cry during a particularly distressing segment. it was so moving while watching death unfold in front of me. the orchestra tugs on your heart and enhances every emotion and feeling the characters have. it was enough to bring me to tears. The Thin Red Line is such a perfect depiction of how war does nothing but destroy. it destroys lives, souls, relationships, land. its a sickening beast that will always be there. a parasite leeching off of all of the innocent young men; forcing them to face death in the face. forcing them to take away another poor human's life. no war film has ever been more impactful to me. certainly a film i'll never forget so yeah. i guess it's NOT like Call of Duty...cowabummer.