5/5 genius!
  by F. schmitt
Terrance Malik is probably one of the best directors to ever make film and this film is hands down one of the best films made in the history of cinema.

1/5 Waste of Film and Your Time
  by Robin M. Smith (USA)
After about 30 minutes I knew it was a mistake. At 45 minutes I had to let it go. I rented it for $4.99 at Blockbuster. I could have bought some of those "sea monkeys" you see advertised in comic books with that money and got better entertainment. Remember when Sean Penn "stormed the beaches" of New Orleans with a shotgun after Katrina? THAT was more entertaining than this movie! This movie isn't about the meaninglessness of war so much as the meaninglessness of Hollywood preaching about it. Hollywood! Land of our nation's morals! Yeah, right. Save your money on this one. Better you should invest in 8-track cassettes.

1/5 Utterly, amazingly boring.
  by M. Ghilarducci
I saw this in the theatre and walked out abotu 2 hours into it because it was so amazingly dull. The last 10 years have matured me quite a bit, and I love sweeping tales of loss and war. "Aha!" I thought, "The time has come for me to enjoy this!".

Nope. Turned it off after 90 mins this time. Fantastically boring movie.

5/5 For once a war movie that doesn't glorify war
  by Aeneas
Of all the war movies, that I have seen, I would rate this one as one of the best. It depicts the horrors and meaninglessness of war, instead of glorifying it, and how it destroys the people participating in it. This movie shows war from a personal perspective with much work done in showing the soldiers emotions and their dilemmas of conscience. Good acting and one where Sean Penn stood out as an actor for me.

5/5 Exquisite Cinema
  by Michael Hartman (Madison, WI)
Stunning. Director Terrence Malick brilliantly portrays the dichotomies of life and death, of humankind's dark, yet brilliant soul, and nature's beauty and indifference in this adaptation of the 1962 James Jones war novel. This cinematic masterpiece boasts extraordinary acting performances from a cast of actors including Nick Nolte, Adrien Brody and Sean Penn. Cinematography and soundtrack in this film are lush and beautiful, the camera work is astounding. "The Thin Red Line" is a sensual, rich and emotive journey through a South Pacific island jungle during the WWII battle of Guadalcanal.