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.

Terrence Malick's return to the director's chair after a 20-year absence is a challenging, philosophical, epic poem that already stands as a historic cinematic achievement. Continuing the blend of abstracted intellect and pure, honest emotion that he established with his previous 1970s classics, BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN, this adaptation of the James Jones novel feels like a nostalgic dream. Stellar contributions from John Toll and Hans Zimmer, along with the floating voice-overs of the characters, combine to create a thoughtful, sensitive reflection on the nature of man and the absurdity of war.

Director Terrence Malick had a clause in his contract that no pictures could be taken of him at any point during production.

Actors that didn't make the film's final cut include Lukas Haas, Bill Pullman, Jason Patric, Viggo Mortensen, Billy Bob Thornton, and Martin Sheen.

In the script, the part of Cpl. Fife (Adrien Brody) was one of the meatiest, although he barely speaks a line in the finished film.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital Surround - English
Subtitles - Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection

Jim Caviezel: Actor
Nick Nolte: American actor, AFFLICTION
Sean Penn: Actor, Director
Ben Chaplin: British Actor
Elias Koteas: Actor
Dash Mihok: Actor
John Cusack: American actor, SAY ANYTHING/GROSSE POINTE BLANK
Adrien Brody: American Actor, THE PIANIST (2002)
Tim Blake Nelson: Actor/Director
John Savage: American Actor
Woody Harrelson: Woody of TV's "Cheers"
John C. Reilly: American Supporting Actor
Jared Leto: Actor
Arie Verveen: Actor
David Harrod: Actor/"Tuskegee Airmen"
Nick Stahl: Film & television actor, SIN CITY
Thomas Jane: 
Miranda Otto: Australian actress
John Travolta: American actor, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, GREASE, PHENOMENON
George Clooney: American actor/director

Terrence Malick: Director/Screenwriter/Producer

Grant Hill: PRODUCER/UPM
John Roberdeau: Producer
Robert Michael Geisler: Producer

Terrence Malick: Director/Screenwriter/Producer

Hans Zimmer: Composer

Billy Weber: American Editor
Leslie Jones: Editor
Saar Klein: Editor

"...An extraordinary achievement....THE THIN RED LINE is hugely effective as a film about the absurdity of war..."
"...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
"...[A] masterpiece of poetic flourish and grand ambition..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
"...Malick has retained his eye for crystalline images, and a facility for camera movement so fluid as to seem almost thought-activated..."
"...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
"...[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..."
"...Malick's return is a cause for celebration. His harsh, haunting film shuns the platitudes to expose war as a crime against nature..."
"...The battle scenes themselves are masterful..."