The Thin Red Line
A wayward Army private sentenced to stretcher‑bearer duty on Guadalcanal must confront the horrors of combat and his own cowardice as he races against death to save his comrades during the island’s pivotal 1942 invasion.
“Every man fights his own war.”
Synopsis
The story follows a group of men in an Army Rifle company known as C-for-Charlie as they undergo transformation, hardship, and significant self-discovery during the intense World War II battle of Guadalcanal. The narrative traces their experience, beginning with the unexpected ease of their landing, continuing through the brutal and exhausting combat that ensues, and concluding with the departure of those who survived the conflict.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 333+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Leslie JonesShot by John TollScored by Hans ZimmerDesigned by Jack FiskSound by Anna BehlmerCostumes by Margot WilsonStunts by Glenn BoswellVFX by Fiona Chilton
Box Office
1998 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.9× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$98.1M
US & Canada: $36.4M — 37% of worldwide · International: $61.7M (63%)
Opening weekend: $283K — 1% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $558K — 2% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 5 theaters
Full synopsis
Versions & cuts
- rough cut· 215 min
Also known as
- Der schmale Gratde
- La delgada línea rojaes
- La Ligne rougefr
- La sottile linea rossait
Release dates around the world3 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 22, 1998
- CanadaJan 15, 1999
- GermanyFeb 12, 1999
Companies
Community tags
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Cast & Crew
333 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Jim Caviezel
as Pvt. Witt
Sean Penn
as 1st Sgt. Welsh
Nick Nolte
as Lt. Col. Tall
Kirk Acevedo
as Pvt. Tella
Penelope Allen
as Witt's Mother
Benjamin Green
as Melanesian Villager
Simon Billig
as Lt. Col. Billig
Mark Boone Junior
as Pvt. Peale
Adrien Brody
as Cpl. Fife
Norman Patrick Brown
as Pvt. Henry
Ben Chaplin
as Pvt. Bell
John Cusack
as Capt. John Gaff
Supporting cast
80Jarrod Dean
as Cpl. Thorne
Matt Doran
as Pvt. Coombs
Travis Fine
as Pvt. Weld
Paul Gleeson
as 1st Lt. Band
Woody Harrelson
as Sgt. Keck
David Harrod
as Cpl. Queen
Don Harvey
as Sgt. Becker
Kengo Hasuo
as Japanese Prisoner
Ben Hines
as Assistant Pilot
Danny Hoch
as Pvt. Carni
Robert Roy Hofmo
as Pvt. Sico
Jack
as Melanesian Man Walking
Thomas Jane
as Pvt. Ash
Arie Verveen
as Pvt. Charlie Dale
Jimmy Xihite
as Melanesian Villager
Elias Koteas
as Capt. Staros
Polyn Leona
as Melanesian Woman with Child
Jared Leto
as 2nd Lt. Whyte
Simon Lyndon
as Medic #2
Gordon Macdonald
as Pvt. 1cl. Earl
Kazuki Maehara
as Japanese Pvt. #1
Marina Malota Darling
as Marina
Michael Mcgrady
as Pvt. Floyd
Dash Mihok
as Pvt. 1cl. Doll
Ken Mitsuishi
as Japanese Officer #1
Ryushi Mizukami
as Japanese Pvt. #4
Tim Blake Nelson
as Pvt. Tills
Larry Neuhaus
as Crewman
Taiju Okayasu
as Japanese Pvt. #6
Takamitsu Okubo
as Japanese Soldier
Miranda Otto
as Marty Bell
John C Reilly
as Sgt. Storm
Larry Romano
as Pvt. Mazzi
John Savage
as Sgt. McCron
Kazuyoshi Sakai
as Japanese Prisoner #2
Masayuki Shida
as Japanese Officer #2
John Dee Smith
as Pvt. Train
Stephen Spacek
as Cpl. Jenks
Nick Stahl
as Pvt. 1cl. Beade
Hiroya Sugisaki
as Japanese Pvt. #7
Kouji Suzuki
as Japanese Pvt. #3
Tomohiro Tanji
as Japanese Pvt. #2
Minoru Toyoshima
as Japanese Sgt.
John Travolta
as Brig. Gen. Quintard
Terutake Tsuji
as Japanese Pvt. #5
Steven Vidler
as 2nd Lt. Gore
Vincent Wild
as Melanesian Guide
Todd Wallace
as Pilot
Will Wallace
as Pvt. Hoke
Joe Watanabe
as Japanese Officer #3
Simon Westaway
as First Scout
Dan Wyllie
as Medic #1
Yasuomi Yoshino
as Young Japanese
John Augwata
as Melanesian Extra
Joshua Augwata
as Melanesian Extra
John Bakotee
as Melanesian Extra
Immanuel Dato
as Melanesian Extra
Michael Iha
as Melanesian Extra
Emmunual Konai
as Melanesian Extra
Stephen Konai
as Melanesian Extra
Peter Morosiro
as Melanesian Extra
Amos Niuga
as Melanesian Extra
Jennifer Siugali
as Melanesian Extra
Carlos Tome
as Melanesian Extra
Selina Tome
as Melanesian Extra
Sam Arnold
as Sgt. Mitchell
Randall Craig
as Navy Gunner
Kick Gurry
as Soldier
Darren Hanvey
as Navy Soldier
Randall Duk Kim
as Nisei Interpreter
Darrin Klimek
as Soldier
Donal Logue
as Marl
Clark Mccutchen
as Soldier
Dane Moreton
as Pvt. Alexander
David Paschall
as General
Jace Phillips
as S-1
Roy Samuelson
as Navy Soldier
Justin Isaac Ward
as Navy Soldier
Felix Williamson
as Private Drake
George Clooney
as as Capt. Charles Bosche
Directors
1Writers
4Producers
10Elle Croxford
the producers wish to thank: PFTC
Fiona Chilton
visual effects producer
George Stevens Jr
executive producer
Grant Hill
Producer
Grant Hill Nm0384294
Producer, Producers
John Roberdeau
Producer, Producers
Michael Stevens
associate producer
Robert Michael Geisler
Producer, Producers
Rosanna Sun
casting producer
Sheila Davis Lawrence
associate producer
Other crew
231Ian Brown
3d animator
Rebecca Smith
additional hair stylist / additional makeup artist
Tracey Garner
additional hair stylist / additional makeup artist
Michele Burke
additional hair stylist: Los Angeles post-production unit (as Michelle Burke-Winter) / additional makeup artist: Los Angeles post-production unit (as Michelle Burke-Winter)
Susan V Kalinowski
additional hair stylist: Los Angeles post-production unit (as Sue Kalinowski) / additional makeup artist: Los Angeles post-production unit (as Sue Kalinowski)
Klaus Badelt
additional music arranger
James Bolt
additional sound re-recording mixer (as Jim Bolt)
Bob Arnold
additional stunts
Chris Branham
additional stunts
Joey Box
additional stunts
Scott Blackwood
additional stunts
Derek Casari
adr engineer
Parents Guide
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