Robert Redford plays an unnamed character lost at sea left with only the very basic tools of survival in "All is Lost." I know what you're thinking, but there is no Wilson and this is not just another "Cast Away."
"All is Lost" can best be described as the after picture in a weight loss commercial — that is to say it's a more stripped down bare bones "Cast Away" in nearly every facet. Aside from the narrative in the opening scene of the movie, the film is nearly void of all dialogue. There is neither buildup or character development prior to the disaster nor is there any sort of triumphant epilogue. The film simply exists as a survival tutorial and does so in an above average fashion.
Despite saying little to nothing throughout, Robert Redford manages to speak volumes in what stands to be one of his best performances to date. For a character about whom we know quite literally nothing , it truly speaks to Redford's abilities as an actor to be able to elicit such empathy for a virtual enigma.
When we first meet Redford's character, his sailboat has scraped across a half-sunken freight container, puncturing the hull. After he meticulously patches up the damage, it's evident that the fix is merely temporary. Once the boat comes up against its first real storm, Redford is forced to abandon ship for a portable lifeboat. Armed with only a sextant, a couple of flares and a handful of rations, Redford must make due with the little he has amid the ever dwindling hope that help will arrive.
There's something profoundly comforting in watching the arbitrary routines of a man alone at sea. Compounded by the element of man surviving against the elements, this makes for a truly thrilling experience. Tom Hanks relied upon soliloquies to vent his frustrations in "Cast Away." That's simply not the kind of film "All is Lost" strives to be. Redford has a calm stoicism that lends to the overall mysticism of his character.
"All is Lost" may not have dialogue, but that's not to say that the movie doesn't rely upon sound as a means of expression. In fact, the film is heavily dependent upon the simplistic ocean sounds that encompass the film — the repetitiveness of sloshing waves, the eerie creakiness of a sailboat's wooden hull, the swirling ocean winds cascading across a sail. These sounds perfectly meld together to create something more profound than a script could ever put into words.
If survival films are your bag, "All is Lost" is every bit the movie for you. The isolation slowly draws you in, and Redford's performance keeps you firmly planted in place. Definitely an under-the-radar standout film of 2013.