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GreenCine Staff Pick: The notoriously meticulous director Terence Malick's The Thin Red Line, likely disappointed those who went into it expecting a straight war movie. It's not that at all, but rather a reflection on the nature of war, a poetic exploration of what war does to men, and to the world around them. As in all of Malick's films (Days of Heaven and Badlands are the others), the feeling is that nature will survive, even after mankind's follies have played themselves out. What other war movie dares take the time to offer long, lyrical passages of plants rustling in the wind, and animals going about their business (the film is set in Guadalcanal of the South Pacific, where one of WWII's more famous and bloody battles took place). What other war movie takes us through a non-linear story with no single, main protagonist, but rather a host of soldiers (played by a terrific range of actors), all expressing their feelings via voice-over? This latter aspect confused a lot of people who are used to one character, one voice, and one clear point of view. Instead, Malick gives us often stream-of-consciousness thoughts, different characters, but, it seems by the end, a collective consciousness. There is also at least one undeniably exciting, tense extended battle sequence, as the men attempt to take a dangerous, grassy hill. But there's much more going on here. In fact, the film demands multiple viewings. The Thin Red Line was overshadowed by that same year's Saving Private Ryan, but without the latter's penchant for sentimentality, it comes closer to being a masterpiece. The DVD from Fox looks (and, with a terrific score, sounds) lovely, too. -- Craig Phillips