Every Terrence Malick Movie Ranked Worst To Best
4. The Thin Red Line (1998)
After his two decade break, Malick returned to Hollywood with his epic war drama The Thin Red Line, which was overshadowed during its release by Spielberg's classic Saving Private Ryan. Though Spielberg's film is undeniably great, though, The Thin Red Line is perhaps the best of 1998's war flicks.
With heartbreaking humanity and a packed cast that's impossible to comprehend (Sean Penn, George Clooney, John Cusack, Jim Caviezel, Woody Harrelson and Nick Nolte are just some of the stars who turn up), the WWII drama follows a group of soldiers as they each come to terms with the conflict and their place in it.
Visually stunning, action-packed and intelligent, The Thin Red Line is as much about war as it is morality in the face of destruction. Some of the cameos are briefly distracting, sure, and the lack of a clear protagonist may leave it too loose for some, but this is about as thought-provoking as a war movie's ever been.