TOM HANKS IS AMAZING IN THIS FILM

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2001)

Tom Hanks is an amazing actor. He dominates "Cast Away" so fully that one doubts it could have made without him. He should have won his record third Oscar, but the Academy, in their usual good judgment (I'm being sarcastic),chose Russell Crowe for "Gladiator". Boy, did they miss the boat on this one.
Hanks is pretty much alone for about 110 minutes of this 143 minute feature. I'm not going to spoil it for you since the advertising teams from Fox and Dreamworks have done such a good job already (sarcasm again) Not knowing anything about the film is a major benefit. I don't pay attention to ads and I was able to appreciate the film's surprises.
I loved the fact that it records an existence. So many filmmakers today think you have to have wall to wall action in order to keep an audience interested. But Hanks and the director, Robert Zemeckis, understand that a good story and solid characterization are even more effective. This is another winner from Zemeckis, who has been making one great film after another lately ("Forrest Gump", "Contact", the chilling "What Lies Beneath"; actually he has yet to make a bad film). The film's Panavision photography (by Don Burgess) resembles Kubrick's "2001" and George Stevens' "The Diary of Anne Frank" in making wide open vistas claustrophobic.
Just because I really, really liked this film doesn't mean it's flawless. "Cast Away" has some problems. One is the ending. While I appreciate the fact that Zemeckis didn't tack on a sentimental, syrupy ending, the final shot of Hanks in this film comes off as forced. This is probably a compromise with the studios and I don't blame Zemeckis, Hanks or even the screenwriter. Another is Helen Hunt. Nothing personal, but she has yet to find a role that can eclipse her Oscar-winning work in "As Good As It Gets". Here, she has a nothing part that could have been more substantial. "What Women Want" also had that problem and she was the LEAD! Here's to hoping that she'll find a good, juicy role worthy of her talent. If there's one thing I hate, it's squandered talent.
Still, "Cast Away" offers many pleasures and is riveting filmmaking from start to finish. This film deserved better treatment from the Academy. But since when does the Academy actually do that? The answer is hardly ever. Shame.
**** out of 4 stars