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A one-man 'Cast'
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks reteams with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis to stretch his acting chops in profound ways - not the least of which is being the sole face on camera for more than an hour.
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 21, 2000
[Photo: 20th Century Fox/DreamWorks]
20th Century Fox/DreamWorks
Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) builds a raft to help get himself back to civilization.
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By now, the question isn't whether Tom Hanks gives a good performance in his films, but if it offers him a chance for a third Academy Award.
Cast Away does, without a doubt. The arc of his character, Chuck Noland, spans not only physicality and emotions, but evolution itself, from modern man to primitive and back again. Hanks makes us believe Chuck's life, near-death and rebirth in subtle ways that can't even be explained. They just happen.
The buzz on Cast Away centers around Hanks' shape-shifting for the role, losing 50 pounds and growing scraggly hair to portray a man stranded four years on a remote Pacific Ocean island. Overexposure of the Survivor TV series has been a marketing concern. Expectations are high, since the film reunites Hanks with Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis.
Cast Away tosses any concerns overboard. This isn't just an acting stunt or another Robinson Crusoe tale. Zemeckis and screenwriter William Broyles Jr. devised a thrilling fable for modern times, a hero's odyssey of body and spirit, both flawed, then shattered and pieced together again.
Zemeckis reveals his intentions in the opening credits. The title appears one syllable at a time -- Cast Away, rather than castaway -- suggesting a life discarded rather than merely stranded. Survival at the moment will be Chuck's goal on the island, in direct conflict with his obsession with details and, above all, timing.
Clockwatching counts in Chuck's job as a Federal Express supervisor. Zemeckis establishes this by strapping a camera to a delivery package, a box's-eye view of a rush order. It's not fast enough for Chuck, in Moscow training Fed Ex employees. He berates them with a litany of punctuality: "Time rules over us without mercy. . . . It can destroy us or keep us warm."
Chuck is so focused on saving time that he doesn't set aside enough for his girlfriend, Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt). There's always another trip to another troubleshooting gig, even at Christmas. Kelly is patient, believing yet another departure promise that he'll be right back.
Not this time. Chuck's flight crashes into the Pacific Ocean in a maelstrom of noise, motion and panicked lighting effects. Editor Arthur Schmidt sets a relentless pace until the sequence concludes with a towering shot of a helpless raft floating into the dark oblivion of the open sea. Chuck's escape to a deserted island is lucky, logical and gripping.
For the next 70 minutes, the only person seen is Hanks. Few actors could handle that responsibility with minimal dialogue. Those who can't lack his good will with moviegoers and a face capable of conveying thoughts without words. Chuck doesn't even need to talk to himself to let us know what's on his mind.
Hanks is playing the Everyman at which he excels, a stand-in for anyone tethered to a schedule, arranging personal lives around appointments. The end of his journey is uneasy freedom, confused by lost chances and new potential, soothed by grass-roots dignity. Hanks always plays people we'd like to be, even when it hurts.
Zemeckis deftly controls Chuck's island survival. It's a steady progression of mastering primal needs: food, shelter, water and clothing. The director never resorts to easy thrills such as snakes or sharks. That viewers might worry about those perils speaks well of the atmosphere Zemeckis develops.
Chuck is aided by Fed Ex packages washed ashore. Makeshift tools are helpful, but so is the fact that he waits so long to open the boxes, suggesting his optimism and professionalism. He'll still deliver the mail somehow, someday. Such unspoken touches make Cast Away a thinking person's adventure.
After four years of isolation, Chuck devises an escape plan with Hanks' best supporting "actor," a volleyball named Wilson. Chuck projects his doubts through Wilson's hand-drawn, immobile mouth, grasping for any chance to communicate. The conceit is riskier than Jar Jar Binks, but smart writing and Hanks' skill make Wilson a poignant co-star.
A passing freighter rescues Chuck and a month later he's home. Like Ulysses, he finds things are different. The third act of Cast Away isn't just about reunion with people, but a man recovering time he can't control anymore. Conveniences are meaningless. Relationships are changed. Cast Away finds its soul in everything Chuck loses, and hope in what he might gain.
One note of local interest: Dunedin native and country music singer Lari White makes her screen debut in Cast Away, during a plot twist not to be revealed. Let's just say that White's brief role impresses enough to command more attention from Hollywood. Cast Away is a terrific start for her resume.
For an interview with Lari White, see Friday's Floridian section.
Cast Away
- Grade: A
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Christopher Noth, Nick Searcy, Lari White
- Screenplay: William Broyles Jr.
- Rating: PG-13; intense scenes
- Running time: 145 min.
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