Steven Spielberg woke up one day… felt lazy .. and thought.. “oh… ok.. lets make a movie…”… the result?.... The Terminal… (this is only a possibility.. not a fact.. don’t sue me please :o) ..
Story on board…
(Tom Hanks) Viktor Navorski … is from Krakoshia (not sure of the spelling as this is a fictitious country).. a small - unknown nation in Europe.. He is on his way to New York City and on landing at JFK airport comes to know that his homeland has got into some sort of a coup.. and that his passport is not valid any more!!!! The Airport Manager (Stanley Tucci) Frank Dixon has no other option but to let him remain at the airport… as Viktor does not have valid documents, he cant enter USA either.. So he is provided with few food coupons and asked to “shop” for the time being… both Dixon and Viktor hoping that the problems at krakoshia would end soon ..
Poor Viktor has no money and is wonderstruck at one of the best airports in the world - JFK airport!!! He parks himself at the no-more-in-use-Gate No.67.. (therez an amazing shot of viktor lying down on few obscure chairs at the unused airport station, which is along the runway.. suddenly a huge Boeing arrives at the airport flashing its enormous lights at viktor waking him up, shouting “Don’t shoot… don’t shoot”…..)
The story is about how Viktor would pass his days at the airport hoping to return home (after he has got what he has come to NYC for)… along he befriends a lot of people at the airport and falls in love with a flight attendant - Amelia Warren (the ever lovely - Catherine Zeta-Jones)… he even lands himself a job at the airport and starts earning more than what Dixon does!!!!!!!
The crew on board…
The Terminal is the sangam of three academy award winners… Tom hanks.. Cathy Z jones.. and Spielberg himself…..
Hanks is excellent (as always) in this otherwise mundane story.. as viktor who is trapped at the airport .. not knowing English very well… and coming to terms with his stay at JFK.. (he walks around through the busy airport in a bath robe!!!).. he speaks with a Russian accent…and makes friends with everybody at the airport (except Dixon of course!!) due to his jolly good nature..
Cathy jones has got a small role here but portrays the character very well.. of a flight attendant who always gets into relationship with wrong men.. though she doesn’t want to.. ”I don’t have the ability to be alone for even five seconds…. she says” … and is surprised to find such an honest man in Viktor and starts liking him…
The Terminal has got an Indian touch in the name of (Kumar Pallana) Gupta Rajan who is a cleaning attendant at JFK.. and keeps asking “Do vu’ve an appntmnt”… (even when Viktor wants to search for his lost food coupons in the garbage).. he gets his kick out of watching ppl slip on the wet floors he has just cleaned at the airport…
Information Desk…
Spielberg said in an interview.. almost everybody gets struck at the airport one time or other.. there are places to eat, shop and meet people…(fortunately I am sure, he hasn’t been to “saddi dilli” – or for that matter any other airport in India or else he would have changed his opinion then and there)..
The entire airport is one massive set!!!! It is hard to imagine this while watching the movie… everything looks so real!!!! (its Spielberg after all…)
Terminal hasn’t got the usual technical wizardry of the master film maker nor the amazing story – screenplay of the kinds “Saving Private Ryan” etc… Infact its got no Spielberg trade mark stuff .. the movie clicks only due the fantastic performance of its lead actors..
But then this is only a feel good movie .. why should humanity always prevail.. “policies” should not be put before humans… as Dixon would always do …
The movie tries to bring forth the bureaucratic insolence at the airport through comedy… This is definitely not a movie to be seen in a hall.. Grab a DVD…. Its for one of those boring afternoon time pass.. :)