Regardless of how the film is perceived by audiences and critics, "The Thin Red Line" is still likely to go down in film annals as "The World War II Movie That Followed 'Saving Private Ryan.' "

That's unfortunate, because Terrence Malick's war picture (an adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical novel) is a fine movie in its own right.

That's not to say it's better than "Saving Private Ryan" — it's just different. But sometimes different is good.

Despite early reports that "The Thin Red Line" might be too "different" for audiences — that its narrative is unclear and muddled — that's simply not the case. And the movie's dreamlike (at times, nightmarish) imagery gives its realistic battle scenes an almost unearthly quality, which is surely what Malick and cinematographer John Toll were striving for.

In fact, moviegoers should be thanking the studio-powers-that-be that there were two films of this caliber released within the same year — much less two movies about such an important subject.

Although both films examine the nature of war, they are set in different U.S. Army operations. While the extended flashback sequences in "Saving Private Ryan" were set in Europe, "The Thin Red Line" looks at the historic Battle of Guadalcanal.

The action is seen from the perspective of some of the men in the battle, although the primary narrator is Pvt. Witt (Jim Caviezel), a soldier being disciplined for going AWOL in the Solomon Islands.

Witt attempts to redeem himself, though his cynical, tough-as-nails sergeant (Sean Penn) remains skeptical of his motives.

Consequently, the two of them wind up on the front line of an all-out assault on a Japanese stronghold. Also there is an underachieving colonel (Nick Nolte) who is desperately trying to impress his own superiors, a too-compassionate captain (Elias Koteas), a shell-shocked lieutenant (John Savage) and an experienced sergeant (Woody Harrelson) who commits a tragic, rookie mistake.

That Malick, who hasn't made a film in 20 years, can develop so many characters and keep it from seeming unwieldy is astonishing. (And it's one of few films that justifies a nearly three-hour running time.)

Particularly involving are storylines involving Witt and Pvt. Bell (Ben Chaplin), a man with a deep-seated fear of dying who regrets leaving his young wife alone at home.

As in Spielberg's film, some of the star cameos feel a bit obligatory (particularly George Clooney and John Travolta's appearances), but they're thankfully brief. And the ensemble cast is terrific, especially, Nolte, Penn and Caviezel, whose range of subtle facial expressions perfectly suit his complex character.

"The Thin Red Line" is rated R for wartime violence (including gunplay, explosions and stabbings), excessive profanity, gory makeup effects, native nudity as well as some naked male backsides, a brief sex scene (handled with considerable restraint) and some racial epithets.