3. The Thin Red Line (1998)
If Malicks films have always probed mans relationship with nature, then The Thin Red Line allowed the director to explore what happens when the darkest aspects of mans world confront the purest forms of nature. Focusing solely on a small portion of the Battle of Guadalcanal, Malicks war film discards the traditional tropes of the war genre in favor of simply following a collection of soldiers as they try to make sense of the conflict raging on around them. Some see signs of heaven, some see reluctant duty. Some are content to give and follow orders, others only want their loved ones to hear that they died nobly (even if the truth isnt as pleasant). There are no main characters here, even the A-list stars (Sean Penn, George Clooney, John Travolta) float in and out of the film without anchoring it. What were left with is a sort of internal diary of what these men felt during the traveling, the waiting and tension, and eventually, the bloodshed. The war film as an existential crisis. If theres a reason that The Thin Red Line isnt higher on this list, its because of its length. At nearly three hours, its quite the meal, and with so many different characters coming in and out of the picture, along with several different narrators, at times it can feel overwhelming, or worse, meandering. Had it been a little more concise and focused, it couldve been a definitive picture; as it stands now, its still one of the most unique and spiritual war films youre ever likely to see.