Fans of war films may have another epic to add to their repertoire.

The Thin Red Line is an American war film written and directed by Terrence Malick. Released in 1998, it is the second film adaptation of the 1962 novel by James Jones, following the 1964 film.

The novel’s title refers to a line from Rudyard Kipling’s poem Tommy, from Barrack-Room Ballads. In the poem, he states British foot soldiers are called a “thin red line of heroes”, which refers to the stand of the 93rd Regiment in the Battle of Balaclava of the Crimean War.

The film’s synopsis reads: “In 1942, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is a U.S. Army absconder living peacefully with the locals of a small South Pacific island. Discovered by his commanding officer, Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn), Witt is forced to resume his active duty training for the Battle of Guadalcanal. As Witt and his unit land on the island and the American troops mount an assault on entrenched Japanese positions, the story explores their various fates and attitudes towards life-or-death situations.”

Thin Red Line has a solid 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ consensus states: “The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars.”

One critic said: “The Thin Red Line is a magnificent motion picture whose essence is epitomised in its every sequence.”

Another wrote: “Unflinching in its ‘war is hell’ message, we witness young men’s innocence and spark stripped away on the battlefield. That’s been done before, though. What makes this film stand out is its vision beyond the battle.”

“One of the richest and lushest films ever to emerge from Hollywood,” added a third.

Fans of the war movie also shared their thoughts on Rotten Tomatoes.

One said: “The Thin Red Line is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen because the movie is not about heroism; it’s more about the fact that soldiers are incapable in war.”

“One of the best and beautiful war movies ever made,” added another viewer.

A third said it was “best war movie I have ever seen”, while a fourth shared: “Tied with Saving Private Ryan for favourite war movie. The emotional punch isn’t as violent as with Private Ryan, but it’s almost as emotional but in a more subdued way, and it’s absolutely beautifully filmed.”

Thin Red Line is available to stream now on Disney+.