To give the short answer� yes this film worked. It worked exactly how they wanted it to and there was no flying popcorn at the screen. This film was a beautifully directed story of personal triumph and how the choices we make affect our lives. This is also a story of willpower and strength. The story was carefully crafted so the audience would notice every single one of these constructed levels of hardship and endurance, and make them feel what the character feels. The audience wants the character to win, they want to know if he strong enough to do so.
Still, even though the story was crafted in such away to make the audience feel the pain and strength of the character, without a talented actor to play the role this whole movie could have turned into a huge pile of mush. That�s why they recruited Tom Hanks for the leading role. Hanks is a man, who in recent years seems incapable of giving a bad performance. Since he won his first Oscar for the film Philadelphia, his eye for recognizing a script and a role that is truly perfect for him, has become sharper and sharper. And this film is no exception.
Hanks brings the role of Chuck Nolan to life like no one else could. He is this movie and without him it would be nothing. Every aspect of the character is shown in brilliant detail through Hanks� eyes. It is a truly beautiful and awe-inspiring performance, which has little to no comparison in quality from this past year.
All that being said there are still a few problems I had with this movie. Number one is that the film�s trailer was very nicely crafted and made me want to see the film, but as I was watching it I realized they gave away the end of the film. I knew the outcome of the film just by watching the trailer. Now I realize this is not exactly a problem with the film itself, I was still very disappointed about this. Number two is that character development and performance other than Hanks and his character was just plain and mediocre. Even Helen Hunt�s character seemed a little bland to me. But despite these two drawbacks I still enjoyed the film very, very much.
One problem I have heard a lot of people complain about is that they felt a lack of closure in the ending. I believe the ending was left open for a reason, and that reason was being stated throughout the entire movie. It�s that our choices effect how we live our lives and when we reach the point where we have to choose, we still wont� know what�s going to happen till it does. I think the ending showed this theme perfectly.
