Cast Away

UK Release Date: 12th January 2001

A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island (www.imdb.com).

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Contact)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Wilson

Tom Hanks is an incredible actor. He never ceases to amaze his audience. He's truly alone in over two-thirds of Cast Away. Chuck (Hanks) is a Fed-Ex manager who ends up stranded on a small island after the plane crashes that he's aboard. Much hardship and toil follow, as Chuck tackles with the forces of nature. There are no stand-out scenes, no music, no non-diagetic sounds, only Hanks and the materials he can use around him. It's a absolutely phenomenal performance, sorrowful and weirdly joyful, with Hanks at his best when he's alone. His single friend, Wilson (a football), almost resonates human emotion through Hanks' communication with him. Robert Zemeckis has done well with relying on their solitary performer.

4/5