This feature on The Thin Red Line is a section under Leadership Movies, a series of films with leadership themes. Learn about how you can become a better leader by watching leadership in action.
LEADERSHIP MOVIES’ RATING: (4 out of 5)
What is the Movie About?
The Thin Red Line is a 1998 war film which tells a fictional story of United States forces in World War II with the focus of the story on the men of C Company.
I thought this movie was great at depicting the various needs and struggles of the individual.
Private Witt didn’t want to fight in the bloody chaos of war, but he wanted to find his Paradise. Colonel Tall is the selfish, ambitious man who will do anything to get his promotion and Private Bell is the man seeking the beauty he found in this wife in the midst of all the chaos, only to be heartbroken to find out his wife has found another man.
Leadership Takeaways
1. The Search for Paradise
The Thin Red Line emphazies a lot on man’s pursuit of beauty, paradise and immortality. Throughout the show, there are a lot of narratives on this search. This is man’s ultimate search.
As a leader, you must understand this and knowing it will help you lead so much better when you learn what’s going through in the deepest recesses of the hearts of men.
2. Different Types of Personalities in War
The Thin Red Line excellently illustrates the different kinds of people in our world today. There are men with ambition who want power for themselves and men who just want to live a quiet, beautiful life. It’s a good film to see how these two personalities interact with one another in the context of a war.
Best Movie Quotes
“One man looks at a dying bird and thinks there’s nothing but unanswered pain. That death’s got the final word, it’s laughing at him. Another man sees that same bird, feels the glory, feels something smiling through it.” – Private Witt
“We were a family. How’d it break up and come apart, so that now we’re turned against each other? Each standing in the other’s light. How’d we lose that good that was given us? Let it slip away. Scattered it, careless. What’s keepin’ us from reaching out, touching the glory?” – Private Witt
“Love. Where does it come from? Who lit this flame in us? No war can put it out, conquer it. I was a prisoner. You set me free.” – Private Jack Bell
Movie Trailer
Other Leadership Movies
You can find out more about other leadership movies from the list below.
- The Pursuit of Happy-ness
- Braveheart
- Kingdom of Heaven
- The Thin Red Line
- Saving Private Ryan
- Forrest Gump
- The Star Wars Trilogy
- The Million Dollar Baby
- Twelve Angry Men
- The Last Samurai
- Coach Carter
- Ip Man
- Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- 300
- Lion King
- Facing the Giants
- The Blind Side
- Remember the Titans