Cast Away (2000) – Encore Review 3

“Time rules over us without mercy, not caring if we ‘re healthy or ill, hungry or drunk, Russian, American, beings from Mars. It’s like a fire. It could either destroy us or keep us warm. That’s why every FedEx office has a clock. Because we live or we die by the clock. We never turn our back on it. And we never, ever allow ourselves the sin of losing track of time! ” – Chuck Noland

Number of Times Seen – At least 10 times (Jan 2001, DVD and 3 May 2015, 22 Feb 2017, 10 Jun 2020 and 24 Oct 2021)

Link to original review – Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – A Fed-Ex executive is stranded on a desert island by himself after a storm causes the plane he is on to crash into the Pacific Ocean.

My Take on it – This is one of my favorite Tom Hanks films and is one that I can return to over and over again because it is so enjoyable and poignant no matter how many times I’ve seen it.

This film is a testament to the fact that Hanks is truly an incredible actor since most of this movie is just him on a desert island (with a Volleyball to talk to).

The story plays out like a modern day Robinson Crusoe and stays gripping through because the character is so interesting to watch.

His transformation on the island is also great and shows that once someone figures out how to survive in this situation, they can still find a way to try and save themselves because there is always hope in everything in life.

The way that this film plays out is amazing because they find new and exciting ways to keep this “simplistic” story so engaging for the entire 2 and a half hour run time.

The choice to not use any background music until Hanks’ character leaves the island is great and that adds so much to the powerful aspects of the last part of the movie.

Even after 20 years, I still believe that Hanks was robbed of his third Oscar for Best Actor because he is superb here and definitely gives a much more powerful and poignant performance than the other4 nominees including Russell Crowe who won the award that year.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Tom Hanks said one of the reasons he wanted to make the film was to reinvent the “stuck on a desert island” concept. He felt that up to that point, most people’s association of the idea was limited to either “Robinson Crusoe” or Gilligan’s Island (1964) and that there was room for a new take, one rooted in the modern day. And there was also room in this film for a rueful line Hanks delivers about some things Gilligan never told us about surviving on an island. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)