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I don't think Saving Private Ryan & The Thin Red Line as films can be compared to each other. Sure, they are both in an overly generalized genre referred to as the "war film," but a comparison between Spielberg's Neo-Realist & Mallick's expressionist vision of World War II breaks down after that superficial surface.
I've always believed that some people's animosity towards The Thin Red Line stems from the ubiquitous commercials and trailers that depicted TTRL as Saving Private Ryan 2, emphasizing the battles and explosions rather than the true nature of the story. Moviegoers who knew more about Mallick's style seemed to enjoy the film more than those who went in for an action adventure.
I saw TTRL in a packed house of 500 and I'd say about 100 or so walked out before the last half hour. Fox is welcome to advertise the movie however they want but I think in this case they seriously misled the public.
As far as Mallick's visuals covering up his cliches, well that's just not a very well thought out comment. Perhaps you don't want to, but if you think about how Toll's photography fits into the piece as a whole you may find yourself a good movie.
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