0
Watching ‘Cast Away’ is like watching two and a half hours of south pacific scenery footage with only Tom Hanks’s marvelous performance to remind me that I was viewing a piece of narrative entertainment. Hanks’s acting is brilliant which is possibly the only credible part of the film. ‘Cast Away’ reunites director Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future, What Lies Beneath) and actor Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan) in their second collaboration since the classic ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994).
After a quick view into Chuck Noland (Hanks)’s everyday life as a Federal Express manager obsessed with time management and Elvis Presley, we see Chuck biding farewell to his fiancée Kelly Frears, played by Helen Hunt (Twister, As Good As It Gets) by the FedEx plane on Christmas Eve, promising he will return before New Year. The plane then crashes and Chuck conveniently inflates a raft and drifts overnight to a tropical island. Holding fast to the watch with Kelly’s photo in it as the constant reminder of home, Chuck begins his four years’ isolation with only a volleyball as his companion. Chuck eventually escapes the island and returns home to find life has moved on without him.
In some of the scenes of this movie, I was struck by the feeling of ‘paying to see a feature length commercial’ on a big screen because the running hours of ‘Cast Away’ do not reflect its simplistic plot. The story could be told in a 45 second television commercial spot, or moreover, in its trailer. We are unable to escape the FedEx logo or the image that everyone in the company is in this a big happy, caring family. In view that Noland’s desperate situation was a result of his employment, it is hard to imagine anyone in his shoes would still uphold the ethics of FedEx. But Chuck soon reacts as he should when he decides to open the washed up parcels to aid his survival. Subconscious advertising may be unavoidable in film today, but the FedEx signage and Chuck’s Wilson volleyball, crudely named ‘Wilson’, make corporate branding a major issue in this movie. This blatant advertising is in bad taste and not a positive contribution to what should have been a solid film, despite its weak narrative.
The castaway on the island is clearly the only worthwhile section of the film and deserves a special mention. Noland’s struggle to adapt to island life is colourfully documented, evolving from an accident-prone urban victim to a fully fledge ‘Survivor’ finalist. It is difficult to empathise with Noland in his early survival attempts because the images is of a comic rather than a tragic nature, in particular, the scene where Noland desperately tries to break the coconut. I can’t help but think that Noland’s misfortunes could have been prevented if he had watched key episodes of MacGyver as in-flight entertainment! Hanks’s admirable performance, however, is what really makes this film and his relationship with Wilson is by far the most thoughtful aspect of the film. Although the inanimate Wilson is non-interactive, Hanks manages to breathe life into the volleyball as a character in the film and deliver the only dialogue in what might have been a silent picture. This being the perfect opportunity for Hanks to show off his impressive acting skills and I was deeply moved by his performance in Wilson’s poignant exiting scene.
The island is portrayed as just another location in the film and the setting is too picturesque to show any character. The element which I think is left unexplored in the film, is the notion of the island being Noland’s jailer. Given the fact that Wilson has his own character, it was a shame to see the island appearing no more alive than a Club Med video.
In conclusion, ‘Cast Away’ is disappointing due to its inability to surprise, but with the terrific performance by Hanks, it does become a well watchable picture. Despite criticisms that Hanks always chooses to play ‘Joe Public’ characters put in extraordinary situations, he clearly is uncompromising and excels at what he does best. This is more than I can say for Zemeckis, who, at least for now, should also stick to what he does best: directing lighter entertainment.
Reply to Topic
