An involving story of survival.

Rating: Null/10 (31 December 2000)

For FedEx manager Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks, time is everything. It's the unforgiving taskmaster that enforces order in his life, and adhering to that order, making sure packages get where they have to be when they have to be there, gives Chuck a sense of control -- a false sense, it turns out. It's not until his FedEx plane goes down in the middle of the Pacific, stranding him alone on a deserted island, that Chuck is forced to confront the difficult truth that we all are merely at the mercy of the ebb and flow of fate.
This involving examination of how a modern man, stripped of his pager and cell phone, might react if left to survive on his own in the wild comprises the premise of "Cast Away".
Being alone on screen for nearly an entire film would be an immense challenge for any actor, but Hanks proves he's more than up to the task. The actor also deserves extra kudos for his dedication. Production on the movie halted for a year while Hanks shed 55 pounds and grew a long beard for the movie's second half which takes place four years after he was originally stranded. Guys with two Academy Awards who make $25 million a picture don't have to do that sort of thing. Helen Hunt is also very good as the girlfriend Chuck leaves behind.
As bleak as Cast Away can be in its darker moments, the film does leave us with an uplifting message -- it's the philosophy that ultimately motivates Chuck to survive: One tide of fate may land you on a deserted island, but the next tide might just deliver you home.