The Thin Red Line(1998)

Plot Summary

• Summer, 1942. On an island in Micronesia in the South Pacific, two American Army privates live with the Melanesian natives. Both men are AWOL from their unit, C or Charlie Company. One morning an American naval ship appears, and the two soldiers are taken into custody. One of them, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), talks to his sergeant, Welsh (Sean Penn), who tells him that his carefree attitude will not help the Army's efforts to stop the Imperial Japanese Army's advance towards Australia. Welsh tells Witt that he'll be reassigned to a stretcher-bearer's unit in advance of the invasion of Guadalcanal. Witts relationship with his sergeant has always been adversarial.On the deck of a Navy cruiser, Lt. Colonel Tall speaks with Brigadier General Quintard (John Travolta) about the impending invasion of Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands, where the Japanese are building an airfield to use to invade Australia. Tall's voiceover tells us that he's been in the Army for a long time but has mostly been passed over for promotion to full colonel. A victory on Guadalcanal would insure his promotion. Quintard tells him that he'll lead the invasion of the island and must secure the airfield. In the hold of another Navy cruiser, C Company waits for go-ahead to begin the invasion of Guadalcanal. One of them, Pvt. Doll, steals a .45 pistol from one of his comrades. Another, Pvt. Train, talks about the only certainties in life, one of them being death.The invasion begins; the men climb down to amphibious landing vehicles and are taken to shore where they meet no resistance on the beach. A report comes back that a reconnaissance party trekked a mile inland and found no sign of Japanese troops. The battalion begins a long hike to the interior of the island, arriving at Hill 210, a key position for the Japanese. The valley below is covered by a well-camouflaged bunker housing several machine guns. Any attempt to ascend the hill straight on can be easily stopped by the Japanese.An artillery bombardment of the hill commences in the morning. Tall claims that the initial shelling will "buck the men up" however most of them, waiting in areas of cover, seem quite frightened. One of the men, Seco, claims he's sick to his stomach and is replaced by Welsh, who understands that Seco's terror won't help the morale of the unit. When the shelling ends, Staros is ordered by Tall to have his men charge straight at the peak of the hill. They are quickly cut down by the guns in the Japanese bunker. One man, Tella, is severely injured in his abdomen and wanders screaming in the field. The medic sent to help him is also cut down and Welsh rushes out to Tella. He tries to take him off the field but Tella resists, unable to deal with the pain of his injuries. Welsh leaves him behind, giving him several morphine syringes from the dead medic. Back at Staros' position, the captain tells Welsh he'll recommend him for a military decoration for bravery. Welsh threatens him, saying he doesn't want to be decorated for his action.At another position on the hill, the squad being led by Sgt. Keck finds cover. They wait to be reinforced but are attacked by small squads of Japanese soldiers. Keck reaches for a grenade from his belt but accidentally pulls the pin from it. He throws himself against the hill, directing the blast away from his unit. Keck is severely injured and dies shortly after, telling the men to contact his wife and tell her he died bravely.Though many more of C Company's men are killed in the assault, the combat dies down. Tall radios Staros and demands a report. Staros tells him that the frontal assault will result in the deaths of the entire company and that a flanking maneuver will be a better option. Tall is not convinced and becomes furious when Staros refuses to order the rest of the company to charge the hill. Tall considers Staros' refusal an act of disobedience and says he's reporting to the front line. Tall seems unconvinced that Staros' judgment was right. Tall orders a five-man team to approach the peak of the hill under cover and report back about the Japanese bunker.Private Bell leads the team, which follows the ridges to the left of Hill 210. Bell sneaks closer and throws a grenade into the field of fire. The Japanese immediately open fire, giving away the position of their hidden bunker. When Bell's team returns, Tall orders a small commando unit to sneak back up to the bunker in the morning and take it out. Bell will lead the way and Tall's star officer, Captain John Gaff (John Cusack), will lead the unit.Private Witt, having been allowed to return to C Company after the punishment he'd been given by Welsh for going AWOL, talks to Welsh. Welsh questions Witt's commitment to the Army, asking how Witt thinks he can possibly make a difference, being one man in the entire war.At daybreak, the commando unit makes their way up the hill undetected. Gaff and Bell order an artillery barrage that will distract the men in the bunker long enough for Gaff's team to move closer. They begin to engage the Japanese immediately, using gunfire and grenades, but are quickly pinned down. In an adrenaline rush, Private Doll rushes the position himself, taking out several of the enemy before being forced to retreat himself. However, his suicidal rush is enough for the remainder of the team to successfully take the bunker. They take several prisoners and wait for Tall and the rest of C Company to climb the hill. Tall himself is overjoyed, having achieved the victory he was after. Gaff tells Tall that they need water to be brought forward for the men, a request that Tall seems not to take seriously at first but does when he realizes how hard his men worked to achieve their objective.Charlie Company next moves on the Japanese encampment in the forest just beyond the bunker. The Japanese soldiers there are just as weak and starving as their comrades on Hill 210, and C Company takes the position easily, taking many prisoners. Just after the battle is over, Tall talks to Staros and orders him off the front line. Tall will put in a recommendation for Staros to be awarded the Army Silver Star and for him to go to work for the JAG corps in Washington back in the States. He also suggests that Staros leave quietly.One private, Dale, is seen with a pair of pliers, which he uses to pull and steal the gold teeth of Japanese soldiers. One of the men he intends to accost is not dead and Dale talks to him, telling the dying man that his time is short. Dale is later seen looking at the teeth he'd stolen and throws them away, perhaps remorsefully. Private Bell receives a letter from his wife saying she's divorcing him. Witt talks to Welsh and asks the sergeant if he ever feels lonely and Welsh replies, "only around people."Part of C company is ordered into the jungle on reconnaissance. They find that the area is still heavily fortified and patrolled by the Japanese. Three men, Witt, Fife and one other man, are sent ahead to see how close the Japanese are and in how many numbers. They find that there is a large unit of them who had been camouflaged in the woods and they are moving toward the rest of Charlie Company. The third man in the party is shot and severely wounded. Witt realizes the only way to get word back to their commanding officer is to himself act as a distraction and lure the Japanese unit in another direction. Fife makes it back to their CO and the wounded man floats downriver with his fate unknown.Witt leads the Japanese unit through the jungle. He breaks into a clearing and is immediately surrounded. The Japanese commander orders him (in Japanese) to drop his rifle and surrender, however, Witt refuses to comply for a few minutes. Seeing that he is unlikely to live through the ordeal and preferring not to be captured alive, he raises his rifle and is instantly shot dead. Sometime later, his body is recovered and Welsh plants Witt's rifle and helmet at the head of a shallow grave.Back at their camp, Welsh and the men meet their new commanding officer, Capt. Bosche (George Clooney). The final few scenes show Charlie Company heading back for the Navy ships, having completed their tour.

Storyline

• James Jones ' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War. In World War II, the outcome of the battle of Guadalcanal will strongly influence the Japanese advance into the Pacific theater. A group of young soldiers are brought in as a relief for the battle-weary Marines. The exhausting fight for a strategically-positioned airfield that allows control over a 1000-mile radius puts the men of the Army rifle company C-for-Charlie through hell. The horrors of war form the soldiers into a tight-knit group; their emotions develop into bonds of love and even family. The reasons for this war get further away as the world for the men gets smaller and smaller until their fighting is for mere survival and the life of the other men with them. — Julian Reischl In 1943, the first major U.S. offensive of World War II is drawing to a close on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal. To put an end to this campaign, the United States Army arrives with a full division of troops and equipment, deployed to break the last resistence of the Japanese. The exploits of this Division are seen from a number of perspectives amongst the soldiers; to include a war weary Sergeant, a power hungry Colonel, a Private who has known only desertion and AWOL, and a Company Commander is struggling with his abilities as a leader. — Anthony Hughes