Would you enjoy a movie that has just one actor alone talking to nothing but an imaginary friend for seventy minutes? You wouldn’t think so. But then again, Tom Hanks isn’t just some actor.
Cast Away finds Hanks playing Chuck Noland, a FedEx engineer who fixes problems internationally. Not the most exciting job, just one that takes over Noland’s life, finally turning it completely upside down. Noland is a guy who at one point tells Russian employees, “We live or die by the clock.” That clock stops after Noland assures his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt), “I’ll be right back.”
He was wrong.
When his flight hits the ocean, the real excitement begins. And as you’ve seen in the commercials, Noland ends up on a deserted island. The only thing that gets him by for the months and years to come are a picture of Kelly, a FedEx box, and said imaginary friend.
The seventy plus minutes of Hanks on the island is quite riveting. It’s truly a lot to say that Hanks can carry a film all by himself, essentially talking to himself and trying to survive. Though it isn’t always as exciting as an episode of Survivor, you don’t dare get up and miss the next scene.
The end of Cast Away doesn’t hold up to the island excitement and distress. You almost beg for those cherished moments alone with Hanks once again. The lessons may be taught and learned, but in the end they drag it out too long in search of the spirit lost and found, out on that island in the middle of nowhere.
+ charlie craine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.