Did I enjoy this film? Actually yes. Everyone dreams of sunny tropical islands, away from civilisation from time to time. Without the hotels and the bars though, things are very different, aren't they? Only the idea and the surroundings seem perfect at first glance. This portrayal of self-inflicted island isolation presents the Robinson Crusoe life as somewhat closer to what reality is, especially if, as they seem to have done, you did you did nothing sensible to prepare. The moral of the story being, be careful who you choose to be shipwrecked with..
Oliver Reed's skills as an actor (and one of my favourites) are still there, but somewhat buried under 1980's Oliver Reed. Oliver is also completely buried under the most annoying red beard ever, making it almost impossible to see the subtelty of his facial expressions 90% of the time. Amanda Donohue is excellent as Lucy, portraying a woman with her own agenda perfectly throughout.
Being a man on a desert island with a woman you desire, who is there by choice, but who once installed, suddenly refuses to be intimate with you..? Hell. Being a woman on a desert island with anyone other than someone with Bear Grills' survival skills and the emotional intelligence of a master, not recommended.
Other reviewers are right, Kingsland and Irvine show us the full gamut of human emotions, from extreme rage to much needed tenderness, but their relationship is fatally flawed and annoying as a result. I found myself looking for that one moment of pure tranquility which never came, or if it did I missed it.
Castaway is a roller coaster ride alright. When Tom Hanks made his epic Cast Away he was at the top of his game and it shows. I can almost imagine a sozzled Ollie telling his mates in the bar, 'Listen chaps, I'll see you all after the winter, I'm off to make a shipwreck movie in the pacific...'
Oliver Reed's skills as an actor (and one of my favourites) are still there, but somewhat buried under 1980's Oliver Reed. Oliver is also completely buried under the most annoying red beard ever, making it almost impossible to see the subtelty of his facial expressions 90% of the time. Amanda Donohue is excellent as Lucy, portraying a woman with her own agenda perfectly throughout.
Being a man on a desert island with a woman you desire, who is there by choice, but who once installed, suddenly refuses to be intimate with you..? Hell. Being a woman on a desert island with anyone other than someone with Bear Grills' survival skills and the emotional intelligence of a master, not recommended.
Other reviewers are right, Kingsland and Irvine show us the full gamut of human emotions, from extreme rage to much needed tenderness, but their relationship is fatally flawed and annoying as a result. I found myself looking for that one moment of pure tranquility which never came, or if it did I missed it.
Castaway is a roller coaster ride alright. When Tom Hanks made his epic Cast Away he was at the top of his game and it shows. I can almost imagine a sozzled Ollie telling his mates in the bar, 'Listen chaps, I'll see you all after the winter, I'm off to make a shipwreck movie in the pacific...'