Cast Away
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I love Tom Hanks movies – The movie Big, has got to be my all time favourite. I did enjoy The Green Mile and Sleepless in Seattle but this is a whole new type of movie for Hanks as he’s virtually the only actor in it for most of the movie.
I rented this from Choice video and it cost me £3.00, well worth it!
If you haven’t seen this movie and don’t want to know what happens then please don’t read this op as I am about to give away loads of detail.
This is a story of Chuck Noland – he’s a fed ex systems engineer and very busy – his life revolves around the clock and he is a bit obsessed with time!
He like everything to run like clock work and his job takes him on many a plane journey and he spends a lot of time away from his girlfriend Kelly (played by Helen Hunt – she also starred in As good as it gets).
He comes home for Christmas and promises Kelly he will be back for New Years Eve and gives her a few xmas gifts and also a little box which probably contains an engagement ring and tells her she can open that one when he returns from his business trip. He leaves her and walks towards his plane – waving – he say’s “I’ll be right back”.
Well as the journey progresses it becomes obviously that they are having difficulties as the plane seems to be suffering from severe turbulance – This is a very intense part of the movie and the special effects are outstanding!!
Chuck is handed a dingy and a life jacket and the plane starts going down - you see one of the crew hit on the head with a trolley full of packages and you just know its bad – then you see the sea – they are heading straight for it at tremendous speed and Chuck is thrown to the back of the plane and upon impact he manages to escape when the plane cracks in two!
Very intense indeed – I found myself totally on edge at this point, even though I new he would be okay as there wouldn’t be a movie if he died at the beginning would there, lol…
He drift on his dingy and when he wakes he find himself on a deserted island. No-one around and no real wild life to speak of – he’s on his own and now he has to survive. He needs to find food, water and shelter.
He finds lots of Fed Ex boxes washed up on the beach and upon opening them he discovers a Volley Ball, a dress and some video tapes. All of which come in useful at some point.
After being on the island for quite some while with only a pocket watch for comfort – he received this from Kelly as his xmas gift, it contains a picture of Kelly so he leaves it open at night so he can look at her picture and probably feels less lonely.
He learns to fish and he learns how to make fire. This is a very funny part of the movie as he also decides befriend the volley ball and starts talking to it. Can you imagine being stuck in the middle of the pacific ocean on an island no-one knows your alive and you have no way of escaping!! I think I would have made friends with a ball if it meant I kept my sanity, lol. Anyway he names the ball Wilson and they become best buds – when he wakes in the night he asks Wilson “are you awake” No reply “couldn’t you sleep” short pause “me either” say’s Chuck. I have to say this really made me giggle.
You see Chuck go from a (dear I say) chubby fellow to a rather skinny but muscular build, this has happened over the space of 4 years and Tom Hanks really did loose loads of weight for this movie so no-one could say he doesn’t get into character for his movie roles.
I won’t tell you what happens at the end of the movie but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. From beginning to end, this movie kept me entertained and held my interest.
I hope if Tom wins an Oscar for this one he doesn’t crumble and start crying like he did when he won one for Philadelphia. I am sure he will get the acclaim he deserves though.
Great acting by all and it may not be an original idea for a story but it’s still well worth watching.
Cast Include:
Tom Hanks
Helen Hunt
Nick Searcy
Jennifer Lewis
Directed by:
Robert Zemeckis