The Thin Red Line

From an opening shot of a crocodile sliding below the stagnant surface of a pond, accompanied by a voice-over pondering the origins of evil and war, The Thin Red Line makes it abundantly clear that is isn't going to play the Is This Better than Saving Private Ryan? game. One starts with 20 minutes of juddering combat footage, the other with an idyllic view of Pacific village life. One is about World War Two, the other about war itself. One is shot in the rubble of society, the other in unspoiled Nature. If Ryan showed us the visceral effect that mechanised war can wreak on the human form, then The Thin Red Line strives to describe the individual's perceptions while under fire. If you're after Ryan Part 2, forget it. It's 45 minutes before the opening shot is fired.

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