Sorry Carl, I dislike the Dirty Dozen as well. The "original", "definitive", win against impossible odds fantasy. Agreed, some of the stars are top notch, action is always a "big" sell, but that doesn't make up for the plot.
Armageddon is a like effort of losers saving the day in the nick of time. World saving hero's? I wouldn't hire these guys to mow my lawn.
Unfortunately the "cornerstone" of ceaseless come from behind, against impossible odds "Sports" movies as well.
They're all like eating popcorn with a sore throat,...you know what's coming, and it's going to hurt, and it's not worth the pain. So...why do it ?
One for the gripe list...I did like...
Thin Red Line.......DUCK !......
The humanity of it was, I think....real. The wimpy CO of the Company...Starels, would've never led. The mistakes, useless slaughter (both forces), Banzai charges (when they knew their goose was cooked), depredation of means (weapons/supplies-water/reconnaissance/viable support, tactics-(those two guys being told to move up, when it was surely suicidal, which it was), and the insanity, unpreparedness, unexpected horrific violence, rookie mistakes (hand grenade incident), feigning sickness, and surrealistic thoughts of soldiers trying to be somewhere else instead of in the thick of all that suffering), was closer than other flag wavers dared to be.
Desperate (human) choices in war (where that "luxury" does not exist), and how humanity, tries to ignore the obvious in order to (maintain/juggle) (sanity/conscience/duty), even against its' own survival).
Perhaps too deep for most.
Above all, the accuracy of fire, and what actually happens in a battle where the enemy does not miss, just because of the uniform of its' targets.
A shock, yet why unbelievable ?
It went past what would've transpired, but not past what could've.
Not a "peace-nick" movie (wholly), rather a glimpse at souls ?
I own it, and enjoyed the fact that it was so cheap. One can always, jump past the stupid parts (as with most others), to get to the relevant stuff.
The full meaning of the "Title" (from the first version) was....."There is a thin red line separating the sane from the insane."