 The film reviewer gives all of the following reasons for the negative critique of "Thin Red Line" EXCEPT:
War and Pieces No movie in the last decade has succeeded in psyching out critics and audiences as fully as the powerful, rambling war epic The Thin Red Line , Terrence Malick's return to cinema after 20 years. He tells the story solemnly, in three parts, with a big-deal cast (Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, John Cusack) and a few other major stars (John Travolta, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney) dropping by for cameos. The Thin Red Line has a curious sound-scape, as the noise of battle frequently recedes to make room for interior monologues and Hans Zimmer's bump-bump, minimalist New Age music.
 Similarity to Billy Budd bordering plagiarism
 Cacophonous sound blending  Lengthy, inconsequential battle scenes  Similarity to Billy Budd bordering plagiarism  Overuse of existential questions