The story is based on the life of Merhan Nasseri, who, in 1988, landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport and had his passport and refugee certificate stolen.
Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a citizen of the fictional nation of Krakozhia. His country is in the midst of a civil war. Viktor is stranded at the airport. Neither can he enter America nor can he go back to his home country.The movie is set almost entirely inside New York’s JFK airport. Viktor doesn’t have sufficient money neither does he speak proper English.
Smart and observant that he is, Viktor manages to make money to meet his daily needs. He soon makes friends with Latino food-service worker (Diego Luna), an African-American baggage handler (Chi McBride), and a janitor (Kumar Pallana) who is originally from India. He also finds a love interest in Zeta Jones( a flight attendant). Viktor’s presence at JFK irritates Frank Dixon (Tucci), the airport’s Director of Customs and Border no end.He tries ploy after ploy to rid of Viktor.
Tom Hanks is absolutely amazing in this character. His attempts to learn English, make a living for himself are very endearing. Most importantly, Viktor has a pure heart. Catherine Zeta Jones also plays her part well. She plays the role of a woman with countless failed love affairs and finds a sincere guy in Viktor. Stanley Tucci plays his role well. Deigo Luna, Chi McBride and Kumar Pallana also enliven the movie with their interesting roles.
All in all, The Terminal, a movie worth watching.