Brilliant portrayal of one man's struggle with solitude...

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2002)

"Cast Away" is an excellent portrayal of one man's determination to stay alive, no matter how impossible the situation seems to be. After a freak storm sends a Federal Express plane down in the Pacific Ocean, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is the only survivor. Clinging to an emergency raft that he found during the plane's decent into the raging ocean, he eventually drifts onto a deserted tropical island. He quickly learns how to survive in this harsh environment but reality sinks in as he realizes that there can be no rescue from this isolation. After a while, Chuck begins to lose what sanity he has left and befriends a volleyball (Wilson) that he accidentally imprints with his bloody hand. Chuck and Wilson remain on this island for three long years until the winds and tides are right for getting his handmade boat off the island.
Hanks does a brilliant job of bringing to life the agony and despair of being the sole human operator in complete isolation. His monologues with Wilson (which he actually believes is communicating with him) keep him focused on making the boat and his undying love of his wife (Helen Hunt) keep driving him to strive against all odds.
I give this movie 9 and a half stars out of 10, because the ending is a little too open.