Cast Away

Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Chris Noth, Nick Searcy
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Summary: FedEx systems engineer Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks) leaves his girlfriend (Helen Hunt) to travel overseas. However, his flight hits a storm and the airplane crash lands into the ocean. Chuck is stranded on an deserted island and must rely on himself to survive against all odds.

Review:

Tim: This is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking. This is a brave, emotional, and powerful film that rests almost entirely on the acting talents of Tom Hanks. The vast majority of the film is Hanks on an island alone. He has no other actors to play off and boredom is a constant possibility. This had to be a scary venture. Luckily, Hanks is an outstanding actor and we are not bored for a moment- instead, we are riveted.

This is an amazing movie with a great story- one of survival, of self reliance, and overcoming obstacles. It offers a glimpse of the hardships life throws at us- and what we must do to survive.

Hanks' time on the island is brilliant filmmaking. As he struggles to survive, every obstacle met by his resourcefulness is fascinating to watch- him trying to start a fire, learn how to fish, obtain water, all of these provide more than enough material to keep us interested. Add on top of this Wilson the Volleyball, and you have a real winner of a film. Wilson is one of the most fascinating and original characters. Watch for the raft scene with Wilson- it is a tearjerker.

Survival movies do not get much more intelligent or realistic than this. Cast Away is suspenseful and entertaining while telling an insightful and humanistic tale. It features an avalanche of a performance by Tom Hanks. he even further chistles his name into the hall of the all time greats. Bravo to everyone involved in this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Green Mile, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Road to Perdition, The Terminal