One of the true tests of an actor's greatness is
whether or not they have the ability to take what is essentially a mediocre script and
turn the finished film into something much better than the script should allow it to
become. Tom Hanks has already established himself as one the greatest actors of
all-time and his performance alone is enough to save Cast Away
from becoming totally lost at sea.
Let's get something straight right from the beginning,
Cast Away, as a whole, is a little bit disappointing. The story seems undeveloped
and, despite the efforts of Hanks, it does suffer from a series of slow spots during its
143 minute running time. Occasionally it rises to exceptional heights but it then
descends back down into what sails very close to being mediocrity. In fact, only Hanks
stops this film from becoming a massive disappointment.
The film is at its best after Hanks' character, Federal
Express employee Chuck Noland, is washed onto the shore of a deserted island after the
Federal Express plane crashes. For the next hour almost nothing is said as Noland
goes about coming to terms with the situation in which he finds himself in.
Except for the occasional word from Hanks, all we hear
during this period is the lapping of the waves onto the beach and this highlights the
visual beauty of the island while at the same time heightening Noland's struggle against
loneliness. We don't see any inkling of the inevitable rescue mission that would
have definitely taken place, instead the time is devoted entirely to the struggle of
Noland on the island. This approach works spectacularly well.
Hanks is captivating during this period of the film; he
doesn't say much, but he doesn't have to as it is quite evident what is going through his
mind merely by watching him go about trying to survive. Some may say that too much
time was devoted to the period when Noland is on the island, but this is the essence of
the film and cutting it short would have been doing the film a great injustice.
It is by far the most enjoyable part of the film.
It is only when Noland gets off the island that the
film begins to lose some of its impact. The ending seems rushed and although the
film does come to a satisfactory conclusion, so much more could have been explained about
the the impact that Noland's experiences had on his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt).
This would have meant extending the film's running time to close to three hours so I guess
the filmmakers can be excused for not wanting to do this. Still, it may just have
helped Cast Away become a much more rewarding experience.
Hanks will probably pick up another Best Actor Oscar
for his performance and he certainly deserves it, particularly if you think about what the
film would have been like without him. Cast Away could have been an
exceptional two-hour movie or an exceptional three-hour movie but what it ends up becoming
is a two-and-a-half-hour film that may leave you feeling a little disappointed.
- Adam Matthews
