Terrence Malicks The Thin Red Line is a poetic and meditative vision of World War II, set during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Blending brutal combat with lyrical reflections on nature, mortality, and humanity, it contrasts the horrors of war with moments of transcendent beauty. A haunting, philosophical war epic. Criterion Collection After directing two of the most extraordinary movies of the 1970s, Badlands and Days of Heaven, American artist Terrence Malick disappeared from the film world for twenty years, only to resurface in 1998 with this visionary adaptation of James Joness 1962 novel about the World War II battle for Guadalcanal. A big-budget, spectacularly mounted epic, The Thin Red Line is also one of the most deeply philosophical films ever released by a major Hollywood studio, a thought-provoking meditation on man, nature, and violence. Featuring a cast of contemporary cinemas finest actors Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Elias Koteas, and Woody Harrelson among them The Thin Red Line is a kaleidoscopic evocation of the experience of combat that ranks as one of the greatest war films ever produced. Från IMDB: Adaptation of James Jones autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.