`THIN RED' CROSSES THE LINE STUNNINGLY.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

Can beauty and ugliness be the workings of one mind, the features of the same face? That's the question at the heart of Terrence Malick's visually stunning ``The Thin Red Line,'' a movie that mixes philosophical ruminations, heart-pounding battle sequences and idyllic visions of nature into a thoughtful, though sometimes meandering mix of abstractions that somehow manage to add up to a beautifully lyrical cinematic epic.

Anyone familiar with Malick's two previous minor masterpieces - 1973's low-key, killers-on-the-run ``Badlands'' and the sweeping immigration epic ``Days of Heaven'' (Malick's last film, made 20 years ago) - will recognize the reclusive writer-director's touches everywhere in this remarkable new work. ``The Thin Red Line'' is brimming with biblical allusions, meditative camera work, perplexing plot lines and a singular vision of the world that can be as confusing as it is captivating.

Malick focuses that vision here on Guadalcanal Island, loosely adapting James Jones' 1962 novel about a crack infantry unit battling the entrenched Japanese in one of the key battles of World War II. Comparisons to the year's other celebrated war movie, ``Saving Private Ryan,'' are inevitable, but ultimately, rather pointless. Aside from some complex, expertly filmed battle sequences, the two films are as distinct as the military theaters in which they are set.

``The Thin Red Line'' boasts a wide-ranging array of characters, many of whom are introduced and then discarded, only to be seen again an hour later. Confusing voice-over work doesn't help with the story's coherence, either. Sometimes we're not sure which character is talking; sometimes (mostly in the case of Nick Nolte) we're not sure just what they're saying. Another problem: Two of the lead soldiers (Jim Caviezel and Ben Chaplin) look somewhat alike, and as they wear the same style of uniform and battle helmet, it's often hard to tell them apart.

Of course, given the way Malick's screenplay and direction often renders characterization a moot point anyway, such confusion is almost inevitable. After a 10-minute prologue that features images of Guadalcanal's Melanesian inhabitants swimming in turquoise waters and collecting shells, Malick begins to gradually introduce the movie's sprawling cast. Early scenes focus on the soft-spoken Kentucky soldier, Pvt. Witt (Caviezel), and his thematic opposite, Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn), a cynic trying to harden himself to the random brutality that war brings.

Welsh is one of the leaders of Charlie company, the army infantry unit sent to Guadalcanal to displace the Japanese. Other members of the company include Lt. Col. Tall (Nick Nolte), a career officer who sees the invasion as a chance to make a name for himself; Capt. Staros (Elias Koteas), a conscientious commander not eager to throw his men into a suicide mission; and Pvt. Bell (Ben Chaplin), a man haunted by visions of the wife he left back home. (John Travolta and George Clooney appear in brief cameos that are ultimately more distracting than satisfying.)

Through these men and cinematographer John Toll's striking island paradise imagery, Malick contemplates evil and love, life and death, salvation and the way war poisons the soul. Anyone expecting a straightforward narrative likely will be disappointed by the way Malick circles his ideas like one of the film's often-shown birds looking for prey. But the film rarely fails to absorb, and ultimately proves quite rewarding on a number of levels.

Much of the credit for this success belongs to Toll's indelible photography and Hans Zimmer's excellent score, both of which should be rewarded with Oscar nominations. Although the movie as a whole does not consistently achieve such greatness, it dares enough to try. We can only hope Malick decides to try again before another 20 years pass.

THE FACTS

The film: ``The Thin Red Line'' (R; violence, language).

The stars: Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Ben Chaplin, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, John Savage, John Travolta, George Clooney.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Terrence Malick. Released by 20th Century Fox.

Running time: Two hours, 50 minutes.

Playing: Mann's Village Theater in Westwood.

Our rating: Three stars.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Bell (Ben Chaplin, left) and Keck (Woody Harrelson) react to the intensity of battle in ``The Thin Red Line.''