Sly, Charming, Highly Original Drama Of Stateless Man Waiting Indefinitely At An Airport

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2008)

Viktor Navorski is a traveller from the obscure country of Krakozhia who arrives at JFK airport just as his homeland suffers a military coup and the US cuts all ties. Under law his passport is confiscated and he must stay in the airport building or risk arrest as an illegal immigrant. Viktor decides he will obey the rules and remain inside the terminal, but is determined to make the most of his enforced prisoner status.
This is a typically brilliant, good-natured, engrossing character study by Spielberg, in his most playful Capra-esquire mood. Like Empire Of The Sun or Always, it takes a man in an extreme oddball situation who takes it on the chin and uses his resourcefulness, humour and compassion to help himself and others. Hanks is wonderful as Navorski, starting off as a bewildered schmoe who doesn't understand any English, panics at the news footage of his country's predicament, starts to adapt to his situation and make friends with some of the more lowly airport staff, and ultimately becomes a sort of minor rebel hero. He is well matched by Tucci as Dixon, the stickler-for-the-rules security manager who simply wants Navorksi to go away and be someone else's problem but won't consider lifting a finger to help him, and the supporting cast are a great collection of oddballs, particularly McBride, Pallana and Saldana. As ever, Spielberg's style is both delightful and effortless, aided by his regular cameraman Janusz Kaminski's dynamic, flowing photography, which glides round the airport's hectic daytime scenes and is quietly intense as Navorski spends his evenings sleeping in an unfinished corridor. The movie's big theme is that everyone is waiting for something - the only difference with Viktor is that it's more obvious, and the comparisons with Dixon are subtle and charming. There were some things I didn't like - the Zeta-Jones character is a bit boring and goes nowhere, the product placement is off-putting and the McGuffin with Navorski's tin of beans is perhaps a bit too typically sweet Spielberg fluff. These moments hardly matter though in such a fine character piece, with some terrific performances and an inspiring timeless direction. Extremely well written by Sacha Gervasi (The Big Tease), Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can) and Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), with an incredibly impressive main set by Alex McDowell built in an aircraft hanger in a small regional airport in California. This is a feelgood movie for sure, but an extremely well made one by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.