Cast Away (A or 4/4 stars)
Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks) burns the midnight oil as the FedEx executive; zipping around from country to country to troubleshoot company problems concerning late deliveries in 'Cast Away', directed by Robert Zemeckis. Having just returned from Russia, Chuck barely makes it to Christmas dinner with his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) & his family. But he's not settled for long when his FedEx beeper goes off. Off to Malaysia, this time. He finishes dinner, & Kelly drops him off at the airport. Never could they have imagined that their goodbye kiss could be the last. Up in the air, contemplating marriage with Kelly, Chuck thinks the flight over the South Pacific is going fine. That's until the plane veers off course, fire breaks out, & in a spectacularly realized sequence, the plane nosedives into the sea (seen from Chuck's point of view). Seriously, it's one of the most terrifying aerial scenes I've ever experienced in a movie (the sound mixing & special effects are terrifying). An inflatable raft luckily carries him to the surface of the sea & he drifts to a nearby tropical island.
This hour of the film shows us Chuck's year-after-year struggle to survive on this desolate isle with nothing but sand, sun, & washed-up FedEx packages. He must learn how to find fresh water; hunt food; ignore scary sounds in the jungle; make fire (in an iconic scene). He learns how to do everything the hard way; & it's much more difficult than anyone could ever imagine. We watch in pain as he extracts one of his rotten teeth. We marvel at how he can predict the weather patterns. The only item he has to keep him from completely losing his mind is a faded picture of Kelly and a rogue volleyball (with his bloodstained hand print on it) -- he names him 'Wilson'. Kelly's photographed smile represents 'hope'; hope that one day he'll be found. Bad thoughts creep into his mind. And finally, Chuck decides to risk his life by building a wooden raft & sailing out towards a vast & dangerous sea (never has the ocean seemed more daunting). By pure luck (and seemingly hours away from death), he is found by a large ship & returned home. But what he finds there is not nearly what he had anticipated.
'Cast Away' presents us with some uncomfortable existential-like questions: would you be able to make it alive out there? How would you cope? Would you take your life? What does it mean to be human? How insignificant are we? These are haunting questions. And as you leave the theater, you're bound to be pondering them in your head. Tom Hanks is a wonder, once again. Chuck isn't the most amiable person (in the beginning). But after spending so much time with him on the island, he becomes our will to watch on, as he uses the photograph & 'Wilson' to drudge on. Not only are we taken on his emotionally journey, but also his physical one; as Hanks gained & lost a great deal of weight for this role. He looks biblical by the end of it all (with his sunburned hair, lean, tanned body, & loin cloth attire). His mental transformation is stunning; as is the physical one.
Helen Hunt bookends the film; but in her small screen time, she packs a punch, as well. Their relationship in the beginning - and the end - is crucial to the film's emotional foundation. The true test of ultimately enjoying 'Cast Away' takes place in the last Act (an aftermath, of sorts). Difficult situations arise for Chuck & Kelly. Decisions have to be made. And it's all incredibly stirring. I ultimately believe that the somewhat sad, somewhat hopeful ending is appropriate. But many people may not; and I completely accept that. 'Cast Away' is a simple, yet engrossing movie because of its full-bodied characters, its bold filmmaking (including no musical track for the entire time Chuck's on the island), & its intelligent script (free of melodrama). This is not a film about momentum or dramatic narrative, but it's riveting nevertheless (even with a plentitude of dialogue-free scenes). The movie gets us thinking. And the last shot we see of Chuck is perfection. This is an oft difficult film to get through, but it's completely rewarding in the end.
This hour of the film shows us Chuck's year-after-year struggle to survive on this desolate isle with nothing but sand, sun, & washed-up FedEx packages. He must learn how to find fresh water; hunt food; ignore scary sounds in the jungle; make fire (in an iconic scene). He learns how to do everything the hard way; & it's much more difficult than anyone could ever imagine. We watch in pain as he extracts one of his rotten teeth. We marvel at how he can predict the weather patterns. The only item he has to keep him from completely losing his mind is a faded picture of Kelly and a rogue volleyball (with his bloodstained hand print on it) -- he names him 'Wilson'. Kelly's photographed smile represents 'hope'; hope that one day he'll be found. Bad thoughts creep into his mind. And finally, Chuck decides to risk his life by building a wooden raft & sailing out towards a vast & dangerous sea (never has the ocean seemed more daunting). By pure luck (and seemingly hours away from death), he is found by a large ship & returned home. But what he finds there is not nearly what he had anticipated.
'Cast Away' presents us with some uncomfortable existential-like questions: would you be able to make it alive out there? How would you cope? Would you take your life? What does it mean to be human? How insignificant are we? These are haunting questions. And as you leave the theater, you're bound to be pondering them in your head. Tom Hanks is a wonder, once again. Chuck isn't the most amiable person (in the beginning). But after spending so much time with him on the island, he becomes our will to watch on, as he uses the photograph & 'Wilson' to drudge on. Not only are we taken on his emotionally journey, but also his physical one; as Hanks gained & lost a great deal of weight for this role. He looks biblical by the end of it all (with his sunburned hair, lean, tanned body, & loin cloth attire). His mental transformation is stunning; as is the physical one.
Helen Hunt bookends the film; but in her small screen time, she packs a punch, as well. Their relationship in the beginning - and the end - is crucial to the film's emotional foundation. The true test of ultimately enjoying 'Cast Away' takes place in the last Act (an aftermath, of sorts). Difficult situations arise for Chuck & Kelly. Decisions have to be made. And it's all incredibly stirring. I ultimately believe that the somewhat sad, somewhat hopeful ending is appropriate. But many people may not; and I completely accept that. 'Cast Away' is a simple, yet engrossing movie because of its full-bodied characters, its bold filmmaking (including no musical track for the entire time Chuck's on the island), & its intelligent script (free of melodrama). This is not a film about momentum or dramatic narrative, but it's riveting nevertheless (even with a plentitude of dialogue-free scenes). The movie gets us thinking. And the last shot we see of Chuck is perfection. This is an oft difficult film to get through, but it's completely rewarding in the end.