The landscape is overwhelming, and the war is just one part of it. The soldiers crawl through the grass, but the grass continues moving in the wind, because the grass is busy with its own story.
A film about a band of men encumbered by weapons and uniforms in an Eden they do not comprehend or even notice.[…]
George Clooney was cast, scripted, shot and widely promoted, but he was on screen for just 83 seconds. In an army of a million stories we are not expected to take any particular individual seriously. Nothing justifies or explains the war; it is the spasm of a maddened species. You do not feel good to be American. Or victorious. It is the closest Malick has come to a flawless picture.
— David Thomson (London Revie of Books)
Synopsis: The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.