"Cast Away"A harrowing adventure film of a modern-day Robinson Crusoe stuck on a remote Pacific island.
Throughout much of the movie, director Robert Zemeckis’ proves a master of nuance, shading and control, only faltering at the end when his populist instincts take over and he presents an ending awash in suds.
Now available on high-definition Blu-ray disc, this 2000 film stars Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland, a chubby Everyman and Federal Express manager who leaves behind his girlfriend (Helen Hunt) to take a flight abroad on Christmas Eve.
But when Chuck’s plane smashes into the Pacific, he narrowly escapes with his life only to drift ashore to a deserted island--where his real fight for survival begins.
Without much use for words or any use for a musical score, Zemeckis relies solely on Hanks’ painstaking efforts to stay alive and the raw beauty of the island to carry the bulk of the film. It works beautifully.
If the movie reaffirms nature’s power over modern man, then it’s also about how modern man’s primitive instincts are still a formidable foe against whatever Mother Nature has up her sleeve.
As the years pass and Chuck’s once fleshy body becomes a steel rod of determination (Hanks lost 50 pounds for the role), “Cast Away” underscores the sheer power of the human spirit with a rather formidable exclamation point.
Rated PG-13. Grade: A-
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