CAST AWAY A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 2000 David N. Butterworth
***1/2 (out of ****)
In "Cast Away," Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a time-obsessed Federal Express executive who tells his girlfriend (the ubiquitous Helen Hunt) one Christmas Eve that he'll be right back, crash lands somewhere in the Pacific, and spends the next four years of his life on a remote desert island conversing with a volleyball.
Sounds like a dopey comedy? It just so happens that "Cast Away" is one of the best films of the year.
The film re-teams the star of "Forrest Gump" with that film's director, Robert Zemeckis. "'Gump" won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and "Cast Away" looks like it has a pretty good shot at repeating that film's success, again because of the strength of its acting, a bold script, and mature direction. "Cast Away" is a modern day Robinson Crusoe on paper but director Zemeckis avoids a lot of easy pitfalls, strengthening the emotional experience in the process. There's no Man Friday, no cuddly animals to interact with and, unlike that Harrison Ford/Anne Heche comedy "Six Days Seven Nights" from two years ago, no threatening pirates. There's also no rousing music score punctuating the action at every opportunity. There's just Tom Hanks at odds with, and at one with, nature.
The popular star of "Saving Private Ryan," "You've Got Mail," and last year's "The Green Mile" is terrific in "Cast Away," especially since he spends much of the film's 143 minutes (which simply zip by) saying very little, reacting to the elements around him, trying to survive. And survive he does. But at what cost?
The film plays out in three distinct acts: the setup, in which we learn about Chuck Noland's relationship with Kelly (Hunt) and how everything in his life absolutely, positively needs to be calculated right down to the millisecond; the middle act, in which Chuck must learn to survive, alone, at the edge of the world--find food, water, and shelter, avoid going mad; and the conclusion, in which he has to face those who have long since considered him dead (no real spoiler here, since the trailers have long since tipped us off in that department). The emotional content is at its strongest in the third segment, when the film makes us appreciate how much we take for granted. In a lesser film these realizations would appear pat and obvious; in "Cast Away," they feel integral and genuine. Hunt isn't in the film much, but she easily earns her paycheck in these climactic scenes.
That volleyball, by the way, is one that Chuck finds wrapped inside one of several FedEx packages that wash up on the beach. He paints a face on it and calls it Wilson, occasionally participating in one-sided conversations with his round leather friend. It's a clever idea that provides a way for the audience to know what Chuck is thinking without the use of an intrusive voiceover.
"Cast Away" is no ordinary film. In fact, both Zemeckis and Hanks do extraordinary work here. Together they have taken William Broyles, Jr.'s screenplay and transformed it into an experience that truly resonates.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@dca.net
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