"The Thin Red Line" is a decent war film. My only serious complaint is that I wasn't quite sure what the story was trying to say...if anything.The story is set during WWII and some marines are aboard a transport ship heading to Guadalcanal, one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war. The story focuses on Pvt. Doll (Keir Dullea) and his seemingly sadistic Sergeant (Jack Warden). The story is extremely violent for 1964--with many scenes that would be tough on the squeamish.What I liked about the film was how savage the fighting was. Unlike many more sanitized war pictures, this one really didn't clean it up too much. What I didn't like was the odd message as well as the fact the place looked nothing like the tropical locale it was supposed to be--with dry cliffs and trees you'd find in a much different climate. In addition, Doll's wife looks like a woman of 1964--not 1942. Overall, worth seeing...but odd they didn't take more pains to get some of the details right.

British actor Terence Hardiman, who played an abbot in the excellent series "Cadfael" and a Luftwaffe major in another excellent British TV series "Secret Army" had a tiny bit role in the movie. He appears as a survivor in the aftermath of a vicious firefight with Japanese troops, grouped around the colonel who hastily arrived at the sight to inspect the conditions of his men. I suppose he was just a nobody at that time.This is a highly recommended black and white film for war movie buffs. Very rarely aired on TV.

Set during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War 2, Private Doll is a raw recruit. Recently married, he is determined to survive the fighting ahead. This leads to conflict with his platoon sergeant. The self-preservation instinct doesn't prevent Doll from some heroic actions...Good, but not great. Certainly not in the same league as Terrence Malick's superb 1998 remake (about the only ever remake that is better than the original). Good, gritty action. Sometimes a bit too gung-ho or unrealistic though. I couldn't imagine a real-life First Sergeant taking all that crap from a private.Good performance from Jack Warden. Keir Dullea's performance was a bit grating, as was Ray Daley's.

Detailing the battle on the South Pacific Island of Guadalcanal in 1943 and the Americans' final success over the Japanese, this is a most poignant and underestimated war film. Seen through the narrator, one of the American soldiers, the film's strength lies in its depiction of the harshness, misery, madness, and yet also the depth of humanity, on both sides. There are no winners here. Superb acting all round from the plethora of well-know actors, this extraordinary film leaves you pondering about life long after the credits have rolled on by. It reminds me how fortunate I am not to have been forced to be a soldier as I could not do what so many have been, are still in parts of the world, made to do on behalf of their governments, or renegade armies. May we be forgiven for all the suffering humankind has meted out on other fellow human beings.