All Is Lost
Starring Robert Redford
Directed by J.C. Chandor
He may be 77 years old but Robert Redford tackles perhaps his most challenging and physically daunting role yet in the epic survival story All Is Lost.
A far cry from his wordy feature debut Margin Call, director J.C. Chandor has crafted a mesmerizing tale with only one actor on screen throughout the entire film and a 31-page script (most are over 100). The true testament to the captivating narrative is the fact that the movie is virtually dialogue free; its just Redford, on a boat, lost at sea.
After a collision with a shipping container in the middle of the Indian Ocean seriously damages his yacht, our nameless protagonist must summon all of his resourcefulness to stay alive and find some way of getting rescued. Despite uttering only a handful of sentences, Redford displays an incredible amount of depth and quiet resolve as he devises an endless string of life-saving tactics and faces all manner of disastrous pitfalls.
Chandor has created something truly rare in a film era rife with tiresome expository dialogue, frantic editing and artificial special effects. All Is Lost is a masterful, slow-burning homage to the intelligently executed survival stories that were popular decades ago; whats even more refreshing is how Redford manages to churn out one of the finest performances of his storied career by immersing himself in a mysterious character that allows his weathered, penetrating face to do most of the talking.
