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Cast Away (Full-Screen Edition) (2000)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Tom Hanks Chuck Noland
Helen Hunt
Leonid Citer Fyodor
David Allen Brooks Dick Peterson
Yelena Popovic Russian Woman with Peterson
Valentina Ananyina Russian Babushka
Semion Suradikov Nicolai
Paul Sanchez Ramon, Peterson's FedEx Driver
Peter von Berg Yuri
Dmitri S. Boudrine Lev
François Duhamel French FedEx Loader
Nick Searcy
Christopher Noth
Geoffrey Blake
Nan Martin
Movie Details
Genre Adventure; Drama
Director Robert Zemeckis
Producer Tom Hanks; Jack Rapke
Writer William Broyles Jr.; William Broyles, Jr.
Studio 20th Century Fox
Language English
Audience Rating PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time 143 mins
Country USA
Color Color
IMDb Rating 7.3
Plot
Cast Away is a good movie that wants to be much better. While director Robert Zemeckis's earlier film Contact achieved a kind of mainstream spiritual significance, Cast Away falls just short of that goal. That may explain why the film's most emotionally powerful scene involves the loss of an inanimate object, even as it presents a heart-rending dilemma in its very human final act.

It's three movies in one, beginning when punctuality-obsessed Federal Express systems engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) departs on Christmas Eve to escort an ill-fated flight of FedEx packages. Following a mid-Pacific plane crash, movie number two chronicles Chuck's four-year survival on a remote island, totally alone save for a Wilson volleyball (aptly named "Wilson") that becomes Chuck's closest "friend." Movie number three leads up to Chuck's rescue and an awkward encounter with his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt, in a thankless role), for whom Chuck has seemingly risen from the grave.

It's fascinating to witness Chuck's emerging survival skills, and Hanks's remarkable physical transformation is matched by his finely tuned performance. With slow, rhythmic camera moves and brilliant use of sound, Zemeckis wisely avoids the postcard prettiness of The Black Stallion and The Blue Lagoon to emphasize the harshness of Chuck's ascetic solitude, and this stylistic restraint allows Cast Away to resonate more than one might expect. Even the final scene--which feels like a crowd-pleasing compromise--offers hope without shoving it down our throats. You may not feel the emotional rush that you're meant to feel, but Cast Away remains a respectable effort. --Jeff Shannon

Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 35
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
IMDB
DVD Empire
SendIt
User Text 1 O
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Standard 1.33:1 Color
Layers Single side, Dual layer
UPC 024543037613
Chapters 32
Release Date 9/2/2003
Subtitles English; Spanish
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: DD-EX Surround [CC]
ENGLISH: DTS ES Surround [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Closed-captioned