Review of All Is Lost (2013) by James M — 02 Aug 2014

Like 2000's Cast Away with Tom Hanks, All Is Lost is a story of a man adrift at sea using his resources and ingenuity to battle the elements for his own survival.

The movie opens immediately with wily yachtsman Robert Redford waking in his ship's cabin to discover water gushing in due to the hull of his vessel punctured by a drifting steel container in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

With his radio and electronic equipment damaged by floodwater, he is left to his own devices to save himself as his boat drifts aimlessly in the water, battling thunderstorms and trying in vain to catch the attention of passing cargo vessels in the distance. He is finally pushed to breaking point when his yacht finally does sink and he is left to drift on a floating dinghy with a diminishing food supply and stagnant drinking water before a final scene which is cleverly ambiguous.

The film is mostly dialogue-free, with the majority of Robert Redford's performance being conveyed by gestures and grimaces, with great cinematography and music adding the power of the story, directed with realism by J. C. Chandor (who also wrote the script).

It's a great screen return for the veteran actor, who has mostly concentrated on his directorial and producing career over the past few decades. He is the only cast member and is only known as "our man" in the closing credits and he carries the film brilliantly as his plight goes from hazardous to sheer desperation.

With dialogue at an absolute minimum, this isn't a film which everyone would enjoy and would probably be best suited to those who enjoy survivalist programmes and documentaries such as Bear Grylls' work, but it's a very well produced work for which Redford ought to have received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. At least the Golden Globes recognised him, also winning an award for Alex Ebert's evocative music score.

Personally, I think this is amongst the best films released in the past year.