Unforgettable War Epic: A 3-Hour Film You Won’t Want to Miss

Disney's takeover of 21st Century Fox

The Disney+ offering is not limited to the Star Wars, Marvel franchises and Pixar productions, even if we would be right to assume so as the North American firm relies mainly on these to retain its tens of millions of subscribers and seduce hundreds of thousands of others. By purchasing the assets of 21st Century Fox for 71.3 billion US dollars – an acquisition confirmed in March 2029, Disney has offered itself numerous sagas including X-Men, Ice Age, Avatar, Planet of the Apes and Alien. Several major films, outside the franchise, were also included in the lot, including a war film directed by Terrence Malick in 1998.

The Red Line, a “3” hour experience

The Red Line had the effect of a bomb (no pun intended) when it was released in cinemas at the end of December 1998. This war film directed by Terrence Malick in 1998, a filmmaker who subsequently distinguished himself with The New World (2005) and The Tree of Life (2011), is an adaptation of the novel of the same name written by author James Jones in 1962. The plot focuses on one battle in particular, that of the Austen Mountains, the Galloping Horse and the Seahorse, which was part of the Guadalcanal campaign in the Pacific during World War II.

The Thin Red Line of its original title follows soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division attempting to recapture points considered strategic by the Admiralty from the Japanese. The Red Line could count on one of the craziest castings of the late 90s to portray these soldiers literally sent to the breaker : Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly and John Travolta.

This feature film was a real shock for the press and spectators (80% on RottenTomatoes) which, far from the propagandist war epics of the time, depicts the horror and nonsense of these battles during which thousands of individuals perished. '''Nominated in seven categories, The Red Line left empty-handed from the Oscar ceremony organized in 1999. The film was, however, consoled by leaving the Berlinale with the Golden Lion the same year. Martin Scorsese himself considers it the second best film of the 90s.

At the start of World War II, American soldiers became close as they encountered fierce Japanese resistance in one of the deadliest battles on the island of Guadalcanal. -Disney+

The Red Line is available on Disney+.

Subscribe to Disney+