I'm not one to give out a ten; however . . .

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2005)

"The Oscar goes to . . . Russell Crowe." Honestly the only man that could have beaten Hanks, or at least could have contended with him (no pun intended) did. "Gladiator" was amazing, as was Crowe, but come on. How much dialogue did Hanks have? And yet three hours felt no more than a breezy and tight hour and a half movie. Simply amazing.
Hanks was just plain fat to start this movie and admits it was done purposely. He and Helen Hunt make an abnormal couple initially, a bit awkward, but solid acting by both makes it very, very real rather quickly. Frears reluctance amidst Noland's patience in union, ironically because it is usually the other way around, gives substance to their relationship. Both are passionate individuals who want each other more that they need each other. I believe they love each other.
Chuck's best friend in the movie is very sincere and earnest. Hanks' realizes how time obsessed he is with his job, then realizes he has let his best friend down. He has an inability to really offer emotional support. That gets tested and amazingly and intimately delved into later in the film.
During Christmas Noland's job calls him and one of the most amazing wreckage scenes (in terms of believably and realism, not morbidness) ensues leaving Chuck to float aimlessly, like his structured life, to a deserted island. A simple idea already used; however, Hanks is outstanding here.
His first instincts are pretty natural for he is not trying to survive, but merely hold over. We see him slowly give up hope of being rescued and turn over to staying alive. Noland finds some FedEx pieces and they literally, figuratively, and emotionally keep him alive, but for how long? Isolation is a killer and that is where Hanks co-star comes in. Hanks goes from outstanding to who will beat me for an Oscar (which was Crowe of course)? Time passes and Chuck's exterior is concurrent with time elapsed, including the makeup. Chuck's sun lesions to his bleached hair gives Hanks tremendous grit and believable desperation. Noland's mind remains very sharp and trivia on this site allow for some of the implausibilities, but certainly not impossibilities, from taking this movie down a notch. Also it is obvious Chuck is knowledgeable, learns continuously through observation, and travels enough that observation seems to occur quite a bit.
The best part is when Chuck is forced to give us backfill. It is an organization tool that doesn't detach or break up the movie. My credit is to Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks for keeping this movie sharp until the end. The whole crew was meticulous and brilliant as seen in the "making of special" at the end of the movie.
The beauty of the island, of spiritually, of fate through choice is all explored here. And personally only Tom Hanks could have done it: which is the definition of Oscar.