Simply Stellar.

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2003)

**Warning! Spoilers Ahead!**
While watching "Cast Away," the word that came to mind more than any other was 'right.' Everything (except one thing) was done right, the way it should have been done. From Hanks's metamorphosis to the unique ending, each decision of each character was perfect.
If you saw the trailer (which gave away entirely too much), then you know the basic storyline. In the prelude, he nails the American obsession with work and time, and their conflict with relationships. Then his plane crashes, and does so spectacularly. Nothing is ordinary about how Robert Zemeckis shows the wreck. He uses primarily interior shots, rather than the standard airplane-hurtling-from-the-sky visuals. As perverse as it may sound, this is the best and most frightening plane crash I've ever seen on film.
The middle act features Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) stranded on his island. This act is split into two distinct parts that are separated by four years. The first features Hanks merely adapting and surviving. The second shows who and what Hanks has become, and how he has honed his survival skills. This transition dominates the film. The only noise for an hour are the natural sounds and occasional Hanks dialogue. How many actors can not only keep but demand your attention for sixty minutes w/o scarcely a word? Hanks truly deserved another Oscar for his remarkable interaction with the island and Wilson, in manners both subtle and exuberant. The cinematography here was marvelous, displaying both the magnificience and grittiness of the island simultaneously. Finally he manages to escape, and after several dramatic encounters, including the nearly tear-inducing loss of Wilson, Hanks is discovered by a freighter.
That set the stage for what I was looking forward to, Hanks returning to civilization and adapting back to a different life. I desperately wanted to see him experience the joy of a clean shower, brushing his teeth, or tasting food again. But most of those scenes were never shown, and that's my singular complaint. A few nods to this were seen, such as Hanks toying with the pocket knife, chugging the bottled water, and flicking on the lighter. I suppose my desired scenes would have extended the running time too long, but I still missed them.
The stage was then set for Noland's reunion with Helen Hunt's character, Kelly, who had essentially started a new life in the Hanks absence. To continue a theme, this was done right. In a lesser film, the two might have blissfully run off together into the sunset, but "Cast Away" is smarter and more realistic than that. While admittedly still in love, the two characters realize that they both must move on. This is heart-breaking. There can't be much worse in life than knowing where your heart lies, but not being able to follow it because of something ludicrously random.

The coda is perfect too. Noland finds closure by delivering the package that kept him alive by providing hope, one of the most powerful feelings. Upon delivery and a chance encounter with the recipient, Noland ends his journey by standing at a literal and symbolic crossroads, not quite sure what's next. Perfect, because that is precisely where he is at, physically and mentally and emotionally.
Overall, so much is well done.
Bottom Line: One of few films in which I have zero complaints regarding the characters' decisions. Well written, made, and acted. In a dead heat with "Traffic" for the best film of 2000. 9 of 10.