Sun, sea, sand and solo acting !

Rating: Null/10 (8 March 2001)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Its Saturday evening, its windy, wet and very cold, so a trip to the cinema sounds like a good idea. Arrived and looked at what was on, although the choice would be limited to those that I hadn't seen and those that hadn't sold out. There's "What women want", but thats a "get in touch with your feminine side" sort of film. There's "The Gift" but seen the preview and probably the best bits of the film already then ! "Hannibal" - say no more ! What's left ? Well there's "Dude, where's my coat I'm leaving" - if you stopped watching the preview after 5 seconds, what will that say about the actual film ! And finally, an East Asian offering something along the lines of "Crouching Dragon, Spanking the Monkey" !
Still hadn't decided, but time running out and the other films had already started - umm, must make more of an effort to get to the cinema earlier next time ! Cast Away it is then - not my first choice but what the hell !

Two hours later and what can I say but "wow" ! The first scene with the pep-talk he is giving the FedEx employees in Russia is a bit too long, as is the next quarter of an hour ! I know that they have to show what kind of person he is before he is set adrift on the island, but they could have done that in a couple of dozen words - "an average guy with the average US waistline, who likes his job although it means he has to spend time away from his girl" ! Having said that, the rest of the film is just brilliant ! The casting was inspired, as Tom Hanks is totally amazing ! Solo acting is always difficult, but he pulls it off so well, that you start to feel the range of emotions he goes though. Hopelessness as he realizes his situation, pain (you just KNOW those rocks were sharp !), despondency, single-mindedness as he sets about his escape and finally bewilderment and heartbreak as he arrives back home only to find his girlfriend has married.
I thought the final scene was great - does he or does he not find love in the end ? I'll leave that to your imagination, but if you were paying attention then as he is pacing around at the cross roads trying to describe where to go next, you may have noticed that little sparkle in his eye as he looks again in the direction of the pickup truck moving away from him !
And finally, don't you wish you could know what was in the package he left on her doorstep ? Would have been a bugger if it was a mobile phone or a set of steak knives !