A refreshing change of pace with a touching story

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2008)

'I'll be right back!' Such were the words shouted by Chuck Noland to his girlfriend Kelly Frears as he hurries off to catch his waiting plane. Little does he suspect how horribly ironic these words become once his tale is over.
In Robert Zemeckis' great 'Cast Away', Tom Hanks incarnates Chuck Noland, a highly-efficient FedEx executive whose life is mercilessly governed by the clock. He's in a relationship with Kelly Frears (the pretty Helen Hunt), yet their love is constantly postponed or halted by Chuck's unforgiving timetable. Soon he's called out on a business trip just before Christmas, and he and Kelly exchange some quick gifts: she gives him a pocket watch with her picture in the lid, and he gives her an engagement ring box, which she is to open on New Year's Day only  with him there with her. He then leaves and boards the plane.
Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong during the flight (we never learn what, nor is it relevant) and the plane smashes somewhere into the Southern Pacific ocean. The crash scene, with all its technical and visual excitement, is the most terrifying and heart-pounding sequence of its kind I have ever seen. It's so sudden, so unexpected, and so realistic, that you can't help but feel nearly as shocked and horrified as Chuck himself as he sees clouds, and eventually waves, scream past the cockpit windows, coming ever closer  He is the only survivor, and soon he washes up on a large and eerily magnificent desert island, and a quick look-see confirms his worst fears: he's absolutely isolated in the middle of the ocean, and no-one knows where he is  or that he's even alive.
By then we're barely a quarter into the movie, and the pace, formerly so fast-paced and hurried, suddenly crashes to a halt. All time stands still on the island, itself unchanged for millions and millions of years; only the dull thuds and cracks of falling coconuts, or the occasional arriving flotsam, provide distraction to the new routine Chuck has to endure: survival without any electricity, food, water or equipment. Everything he uses, he improvises  sometimes with painful results, other times with triumph. A man who once lived by the pager and the timetable suddenly finds himself in a land where the very concept of 'time' is as alien as fish on Mars, and what he does to survive, both physically and mentally, is where the true storytelling power of the movie lies.
The movie is very slow-paced as we follow Chuck's attempts at staying alive, yet unlike most other times where I'd say this, for this movie, being slow is far from criticism; it's praise. The movie doesn't hurry through Chuck's exploits and actions just to 'get to the point'. The story takes its time to settle comfortably into its niche, and once it does, it's truly riveting, even though all we're really looking at is one man on an island, drinking coconut juice and suffering from a toothache without a dentist.
The acting is outstanding, especially for Tom Hanks as the castaway in person; he supports the entire movie, and the audience gets to feel both his triumphs and his pains. One scene where he finally is able to light a large signal fire is surprisingly jovial and heartwarming as we see the desperate man jumping, ecstatic, around the burning flames, chanting and avoiding sparks. Other scenes truly make us feel terribly sorry for the man, but rather in resigned, compassionate way. For example, to stay sane, Chuck begins to speak to a Wilson Sporting Goods volleyball, on which a smeared bloody handprint inadvertently created a vague face. Naming the ball 'Wilson', Chuck speaks to 'him' as thought they were old friends, and by then we're so in-tune with Chuck's desperation and loneliness we barely even realize the oddity of a grown man merrily conversating with a volleyball.
I naturally can't divulge what happens at the end, or if Chuck ever makes it off the island or not, but I can nonetheless comment on the fact that personally, I found it slightly disappointing. It was a logical ending to the tale (one you may already have guessed if you haven't seen the movie yet), but some parts of it seemed forced, even somewhat clichéd and corny at times. I also didn't understand some of what happened at the very end; perhaps it was too subtle for me. (But then, 'too' subtle would also be ground for criticism.) This is not a movie for viewers who expect action and flash, or for sufferers of short attention spans. For those who are able to take a break from their lives, which so often mirror Chuck Noland's in their pacing, this story will be a soothing and refreshing change of pace while it lasts, and will make a very good addition to any movie-lover's collection.
* * * * * For giving us a story with a refreshing change of pace, a lot of sentiment and depth, and some formidable acting, I award 'Cast Away' 8.5 friendly volleyballs out of 10.