Cast Away Review
by Dustin Putman (FilmFan16 AT aol DOT com)December 30th, 2000
Cast Away * * * * (out of * * * * )
Directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy, Lari White, Michael Forest, Viveka
Davis, Jenifer Lewis.
2000 - 143 minutes
Rated PG-13 (for an ultra-realistic plane crash and mild profanity).
Reviewed by Dustin Putman, December 23, 2000.
At first glance, "Cast Away," directed by Robert Zemeckis (2000's "What Lies
Beneath"), may appear to be a feature film version of TV's "Survivor," where
a man stranded on an island must learn to fend for himself in order to stay
alive. Zemeckis and screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. could very well have
made such a movie and come up with a first-rate adventure-thriller, along the
lines of 1988's "A Cry in the Wild." Instead, their purpose is exposed to be
something else entirely, and the title hints at this ambitious aim. Instead
of being about a castaway, the picture is about a man very much dependent on
today's technology to help him live his life, who, through circumstances out
of his hands, is cast away from society, and must start his life anew.
In, perhaps, a career-best performance in a very long line of successes, Tom
Hanks stars as Chuck Noland, a loyal Federal Express executive who devotes
much of his time trying to make the company as good as it can be. Following a
short Christmas reunion with his sweetheart, Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt), he is
paged to return to work, although not before handing her a small, wrapped
present that both parties know is an engagement ring. While traveling across
the Pacific, Chuck's plane runs into severe turbulence due to a nasty storm
and it ultimately crashes. Narrowly escaping with an inflatable raft in hand
and a treasured locket with a picture of Kelly inside that she gave to him
before he shoved off, Chuck eventually finds himself washed ashore on a
desolate island devoid of any other human life.
For its middle 75 minutes, "Cast Away" is a hugely involving and fascinating
look at the way Chuck deals with being cut off from all people and everyday
conveniences, as he is forced to learn how to survive with very few
resources. With a wealth of coconuts surrounding him, Chuck's diet becomes
solely dependent on the fruit until he learns to start a fire from the
friction of sticks and eventually work his way up to crabs and fish. And
thanks to a bunch of Fed Ex packages that drifted to shore, Chuck gains
access to a few limited articles of clothing, ice skates whose sharp blades
come in handy, and a volleyball that becomes his only friend and a personal
salvation on the island, going as far as painting a face on one side using
his own blood from a wound.
It's no secret from the television ads and theatrical trailer that Chuck
does, indeed, make it back to civilization. While more suspense might have
surrounded such a question had it not been so blatantly given away, such a
decision holds absolutely no bearing on the success or overall impact of the
film. In a way, it is a positive thing, as it directs the viewer's attention
away from a possibly unknown outcome, and toward the deeper meanings behind
the picture's existence. The final 30 minutes, with Chuck now back home
following a four-year disappearance that led everyone to believe he was dead
(and going as far as holding a funeral for him), is just about as powerful
and truthful of a denouement as could possibly be expected.
"Cast Away" is a cinematic triumph, a motion picture so rich with honest
emotions and ideas that it comes as a relative surprise that this is a
big-budget, star vehicle. Rarely does Hollywood prove that it is still
capable of making intelligent, adult fare, so when such a stirring feat
occurs, it is all the more reason to rejoice. The movie is thoroughly
entertaining for the entirety of its nearly 2 1/2-hour running time, and it
is effective on every level--both as a character study, and an accurately
drawn adventure yarn.
Appearing in every scene (save for a 3-minute prologue that delves into the
lives of Fed Ex workers across the globe), Tom Hanks (1999's "The Green
Mile") is astounding. Highly publicized for the unorthodox way in which
Zemeckis made the film, taking nearly a year off in between in order for
Hanks to drop 60 lbs., it is a testament to Hanks' loyalty to his craft to go
through such a rigorous process. Impressing even more greatly than his
physical appearance is his performance, deeply charged with serious emotions
and subtly dodging any signs of saccharine drama. With the majority of the
picture literally a one-man show (and with this sizable middle chunk also
devoid of music and very little dialogue), Hanks is able to single-handedly
take hold of the screen and keep the viewer with him at all times. Very few
actors could ever spend 75 minutes alone onscreen and remain captivating, but
Hanks does just that.
In her fourth film appearance in the last three months (with the other three
being in "Dr. T and the Women," "Pay It Forward," and "What Women Want"),
Helen Hunt is perfectly cast as the love of Chuck's life, Kelly. While, no
doubt, the smallest role Hunt has had this year, it is also her strongest
performance. Not only is it easy to see why Chuck loves Kelly so very much,
and why she is one of the reasons he hangs onto the hope of seeing her again
one day, but Hunt injects the part with a level of compassion and
heartbreaking pathos that is truly unforgettable.
An allegory on the importance most people place on material items, and the
extreme impact being cut off from such things can have on someone, "Cast
Away" is the exquisite, thought-provoking journey of a man who ultimately
must find a way to put his life back together when everything he had
previously known changes in the four years he is gone. And even more, it is
an unforgettable love story between two smart, likable people who know they
were meant for each other--and keep that fact between them, even when they
realistically know nothing can ever be the same again. With 2000 quickly
reaching a close, "Cast Away" is easily one of the very best films of the
year.
- Copyright 2000 by Dustin Putman
http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Dustin+Putman ( <A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Dustin+Putman">Reviews by Dustin Putman</A> ) http://www.atnzone.com ( <A HREF="Http://www.atnzone.com">NZone Magazine</A> )
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