Practically a one-man show

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2006)

I won't say that this is a "desert island" favorite, this is about the last thing you want to see if you got stranded! It's really a major accomplishment for the director Zemekis and Hanks making the film seem vast and isolated without bogging down. If Forest Gump didn't convince you that Tom Hanks is one of the most skilled and credible actors in modern history, if not of all time, then you need to watch this picture to set you straight. Little details build up in this film to add to the realism. The story involves Hanks' as a corporate worker-bee becoming stranded on a small island in the Pacific. The depiction of his day-to-day survival and acceptance of circumstances with occasional moments of great learning prove a crucial element in the pacing of the film. His gradual mastery over his environment also increases the audience's sense of participation in the drama. He learns how to help himself survive.
Sure, it's a low-energy emotional performance for most of the picture, but the weight of the film is all on Hanks and the shoot looks pretty physical. In fact, they shot part of the film and then went back a year later, giving Hanks enough time to drop weight to look sufficiently half-starved.
The audience can clearly see his early mistakes in prioritizing his survival tools on the island. His delay in learning to build a signal fire costs him dearly, like his poor priorities in "real" life cost him. The film is a rewarding survival story and comment on modern life. If nothing else, this film encourages the examination of your life and may make you want to learn how to build a fire or carry a multi-tool with you at all times.