Excellent

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2002)

This film is as ambiguous as life itself and, for that reason, it does not provide a fascile, crowd-pleasing Hollywood ending. Are there flaws? Yes, and I have a few quibbles myself. But imperfections aside, Cast Away is a highly unappreciated film which I enjoyed more than anything else I've seen in several years. As for complaints about the "4 years later" break, what were the film-makers to do? Roll cameras daily, for close to a year, while Hanks shed over fifty pounds? Certain restrictions apply! All in all, Cast Away (a pun, by the way--the character is a castaway who has been Cast Away from his societal identity) is a moving and compelling piece of work which gets better with each successive viewing. Kudos to Tom Hanks, who gives an extraordinary performance, and to all involved.