The Thin Red Line

Yes, I definitely think a film has to have at least somewhat of a plot to be considered a good film. To make a film, the film usually needs a story plot to go off of, although a film can convey mood as well as challenge the audience without a plot. I think Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line was able to do this. I think even though the film did not have a particular plot, it conveyed a mood of destruction and rebirth through the destruction of war and the nature shots that symbolized rebirth. I definitely think the film challenged the audience by telling a story of war in a different way, which was more of a psychological approach.

I feel that every film made should be approached differently. Each film has its own unique qualities, even within the same genre. Malick’s The Thin Red Line, for example, should be approached differently than the conventional war film. The Thin Red Line follows a psychological approach to war, which is different than other war films that follow a mission or the main character’s journey.

Even though Malick shot about a million feet of film and cut a lot of performances out of the film, I think that Malick was able to pull off a vision in The Thin Red Line. Sure, the film did not have a definite plot, but the film obviously concentrates on the spiritual dynamic of war, which I think Malick was trying to portray.