Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
ACK! I haven't seen this film yet, and I'm dying to. IT'S KILLING ME!! I suppose it makes sense to have our own old sailor take a look at this story about what happens when the deep blue sea bitchslaps one poor bastard, taking away four years and 50 pounds. That's right... Quint saw CAST AWAY.
Ahoy squirts! The oh so crusty seaman here once more, this time with a little look at this Winter's biggest flick, Cast Away.
I remember hearing Harry talk about this movie years ago. "The best unproduced script in Hollywood!" Then I heard Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis were trying to get something going on the project. My interest in this film has always been high.
Let me say right up front that on this movie I both hate 20th Century Fox and love them. I hate them for issuing that dreadful 2nd trailer that gives far too much away. By my having seen that second trailer, 20th Century Fox effectively killed a whole level of mystery from the film. I believe that if I had not seen the second trailer, had that level of mystery remained, then Cast Away would be in my top 2 or 3 films of the year.
But in the end I have to love ol' 20th Century for having the balls to make this movie. It was fairly pricey, took a fuck of a long time to shoot and thrives in its unconventionality. There are whole 20-25 minute scenes that have no dialogue. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of sound. Waves hitting the beach, leaves rustling, the occasional Tom Hanks grunt, but just no dialogue. For the entire middle of the film, the only dialogue there is is one sided. The only conversation is between Tom Hanks and Wilson, a volleyball with a face painted on it.
This part will lose a few people. The ludicrousness of Tom Hanks conversing with an inanimate object and over time coming to fill in the second half of the conversation himself... well, it's just a little too over the top for most people. BUT it worked gloriously for me.
I tried to imagine myself in Tom Hanks' place throughout the movie. Would I make this choice? What about trying this? Would I have been able to start a fire with a small log, a stick and some dry plant material? Would I have made a friend out of a volleyball?
Stop and think for a moment about what you do when you're absolutely sure no one is looking, that you are completely by yourself, then try to imagine it being that way for 5 years. If all you're doing is talking to a volleyball named Wilson, then you got off lucky.
Anyway, the main irony of the film is Tom Hanks's character before the crash and after the crash. Before he was living by the clock as a high on the rung bossman at FedEx. Always using every possible hour, minute, second to get as many packages off to the airport and into the his customer's hands as he possibly can.
After the crash, he's no longer living by the clock, but a slave of it. He loses all the control he thought he had. Before he never seemed to have enough time, whereas now all he has IS time.
Zemeckis makes the most of this irony. You know what the first thing Hanks does when he's washed ashore? Does he look for shelter? Nope. Ummm, how about food and water? Nope. Other survivors? Nada. He walks up and down the beach, picking up FedEx boxes. Wow, I thought. What a smart idea. God knows what's in those boxes that he could use. But no, he stacks them up in a pile and for a long, long time, he continues his FedEx employee duty and protects them from the elements.
All right. The performances. Helen Hunt was very good in her role as Tom Hanks's soon to be fiancé. Likewise the rest of the cast. All are good in their roles. Tom Hanks, though, is really the only actor in the film that needs to be looked at. The movie rests completely on his shoulders. The other cast members could be giving Oscar caliber performances, but that wouldn't matter if Tom Hanks dropped the ball.
And thank God he doesn't. I had faith in Tom Hanks going into this movie, but this was going to be unlike any role he'd done before. Yeah, yeah. Shut up! I've seen Joe Vs. The Volcano. I know they have somewhat similar storylines. I really dig Joe Vs. The Volcano, but his character in Cast Away is completely different. His Cast Away character has everything to lose by dying. In Cast Away, Hanks actually has to construct a well rounded, emotionally deep, yet interesting and funny character. In Joe Vs. The Volcano, his main duty was fulfilling the comedy part. That having been said, it would have been soooo cool if a case of Sunkist had washed up on shore! Well... at least to me.
Like I was saying, Hanks had his job cut out for him. He had to portray a person over 6 years of his life, from one up to many downs. He had to know this person. Yeah, I know it's called acting, but this kind of challenge doesn't happen all too often these days. Even with one of my favorite actors stepping up to the challenge, I was still worried it might have too much.
Tom Hanks is just glorious in this film. Every action felt right. His character felt real. Every time he suffered, I felt it. It's the hallmark of a great performance. Given the Academy's fancy of Hanks and his amazing work in Cast Away, I won't be a bit surprised when they announce his nomination for best actor.
On a side note: it might have just been me, but I loved seeing skinny Tom Hanks again! It was like seeing an old friend. Mr. Hanks has the right to look however he wants to look... I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed seeing Splash/Big Tom Hanks again. There you have it Tom. Now, go and gain some weight, dammit!
I was planning a more in depth review, but after going over what I have just written, I feel that's all that needs to be said... from me anyway. Go see this movie. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, it'll make you wince. All that shit and much, much more. I was drawn into this film, which honestly hasn't happened a whole helluva lot recently. I think you will be, too.
Until next time, squirts, keep yer eye on the horizon. Ol' Crusty has some pretty cool things in the works for you guys, including a potential asskicking interview with one of the coolest of the '80s sci-fi badasses. This is Quint, signing off.
