Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Thin Red Line

  • 1998
  • R
  • 2h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
193K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
987
798
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Criterion trailer
Play trailer2:47
3 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaHistoryWar

Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.

  • Director
    • Terrence Malick
  • Writers
    • James Jones
    • Terrence Malick
  • Stars
    • Jim Caviezel
    • Sean Penn
    • Nick Nolte
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    193K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    987
    798
    • Director
      • Terrence Malick
    • Writers
      • James Jones
      • Terrence Malick
    • Stars
      • Jim Caviezel
      • Sean Penn
      • Nick Nolte
    • 1.5KUser reviews
    • 164Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 7 Oscars
      • 22 wins & 47 nominations total

    Videos3

    The Thin Red Line
    Trailer 2:47
    Watch The Thin Red Line
    Memorable Military Moments in Film
    Clip 1:27
    Watch Memorable Military Moments in Film
    A Guide to the Films of Terrence Malick
    Clip 2:31
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Terrence Malick

    Photos178

    Terrence Malick in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Bill Pullman, Ben Chaplin, and Adrien Brody in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    John Cusack, Jim Caviezel, and Ben Chaplin in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Woody Harrelson, Sean Penn, Will Wallace, Adrien Brody, and Dash Mihok in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    John Travolta and Nick Nolte in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Jim Caviezel in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Sean Penn in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Jim Caviezel in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Dash Mihok in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    John Cusack in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Woody Harrelson in The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Arie Verveen in The Thin Red Line (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jim Caviezel
    Jim Caviezel
    • Pvt. Witt
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • 1st Sgt. Welsh
    Nick Nolte
    Nick Nolte
    • Lt. Col. Tall
    Kirk Acevedo
    Kirk Acevedo
    • Pvt. Tella
    Penelope Allen
    Penelope Allen
    • Witt's Mother
    • (as Penny Allen)
    Benjamin Green
    • Melanesian Villager
    • (as Benjamin)
    Simon Billig
    Simon Billig
    • Lt. Col. Billig
    Mark Boone Junior
    Mark Boone Junior
    • Pvt. Peale
    Adrien Brody
    Adrien Brody
    • Cpl. Fife
    Norman Patrick Brown
    • Pvt. Henry
    Ben Chaplin
    Ben Chaplin
    • Pvt. Bell
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Capt. Bosche
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Capt. John Gaff
    Jarrod Dean
    Jarrod Dean
    • Cpl. Thorne
    Matt Doran
    Matt Doran
    • Pvt. Coombs
    Travis Fine
    Travis Fine
    • Pvt. Weld
    Paul Gleeson
    Paul Gleeson
    • 1st Lt. Band
    Woody Harrelson
    Woody Harrelson
    • Sgt. Keck
    • Director
      • Terrence Malick
    • Writers
      • James Jones
      • Terrence Malick
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Letters from Iwo Jima
    7.9
    Letters from Iwo Jima
    We Were Soldiers
    7.1
    We Were Soldiers
    Days of Heaven
    7.8
    Days of Heaven
    Enemy at the Gates
    7.5
    Enemy at the Gates
    Flags of Our Fathers
    7.1
    Flags of Our Fathers
    Badlands
    7.7
    Badlands
    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
    7.5
    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
    The Tree of Life
    6.8
    The Tree of Life
    The New World
    6.7
    The New World
    The Thin Red Line
    6.7
    The Thin Red Line
    Pearl Harbor
    6.2
    Pearl Harbor
    Black Hawk Down
    7.7
    Black Hawk Down

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most of Adrien Brody's scenes were cut from the film and he wasn't aware of these changes until he saw the film at the premiere. Brody came to the premiere expecting to see himself as the lead character and was shocked when he saw that he was barely featured in the film, especially since Cpl. Fife was the central character in the novel on which the movie was based.
    • Goofs
      In one of the flashback scenes where the soldier and his girlfriend are holding hands, modern cars can be seen out the window in the background.
    • Quotes

      Private Edward P. Train: [narration] This great evil, where's it come from? How'd it steal into the world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who's doing this? Who's killing us, robbing us of life and light, mocking us with the sight of what we might've known? Does our ruin benefit the earth, does it help the grass to grow, the sun to shine? Is this darkness in you, too? Have you passed through this night?

    • Crazy credits
      Composer Wrangler. . . Moanike'ala Nakamoto
    • Connections
      Featured in HBO First Look: The Thin Red Line (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      The Unanswered Question
      Composed by Charles Ives

      Performed by Orchestra of St. Luke's (as The Orchestra of St. Luke's)

      Conducted by John Adams

    User reviews1.5K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Visually Stunning And Philosophically Daring
    One of the most visually stunning and philosophically daring war films ever made. In 1978, Terrence Malick made the hit classic 'Days of Heaven', for 20 years after its release, Malick didn't create a single film, that was until the release of 1998's World War II epic 'The Thin Red Line; my God was the wait worth it. 'The Thin Red Line' is a complex and moving depiction of war that happens to act as one of the most realistic portrayals of WWII ever displayed, both visually and psychologically. Literally Malick emerged from hiding to create this gem of a classic that portrays the chaos of war. Despite being the same release year as the much more successful 'Saving Private Ryan', Malick's war flick will go down in Hollywood history as a truly special masterpiece.
    helpful•89
    24
    • CalRhys
    • Jul 18, 2014

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ6

    • Why didn't Sgt Welsh (Sean Penn) want Staros to include him in his report? Staros clearly was going to report on Welsh's heroism in rushing out into a live fire zone to help Pvt Tella (Kirk Acevedo) and even recommend him for the Silver Star.
    • Why did Welsh take Seco off the front line for feeling sick over Keck's objections?
    • Will there be a director's cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 15, 1999 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Tok Pisin
      • Japanese
      • Greek
    • Also known as
      • Lằn Ranh Đỏ Mỏng Manh
    • Filming locations
      • Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
    • Production companies
      • Fox 2000 Pictures
      • Geisler-Roberdeau
      • Phoenix Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $52,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $36,400,491
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $282,534
      • Dec 27, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $98,126,565
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Thin Red Line (1998)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of The Thin Red Line (1998) in India?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.