Hanks Pulls Off What Not Just Any Actor Could

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2010)

I remember being fairly dismissive about "Cast Away" upon its initial release before I'd seen it. I wasn't thrilled with the direction Robert Zemeckis had gone as a director ("Forrest Gump" anyone?) and I was just about Tom Hanks-ed out by the time he made this. But then I saw it, and found myself impressed by both the direction and more notably by Hanks' performance.
The difficulty of that performance should not be underestimated. Hanks plays a man stranded on a desert island and spends the vast majority of time alone on screen. Even if there are better actors than Hanks out there, it takes a certain kind of screen presence to pull that off, and Hanks has it. His Academy Award nomination was richly deserved.
Grade: A-