100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 38: All is Lost

Director: J.C. Chandor
Genre: Drama/ Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Robert Redford

Description: After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor (Robert Redford) finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face.

Review: Survival films always do will with the audience. Man against nature, a serious tension is always present because there is a chance the leading characters might not survive.
In “All is Lost” there is only one person, almost no dialogue and a simple plot. The film starts with a nameless man who sees his boat has crashed into a floating container. This has left a
hole in his boat. When his communication equipment is also damaged by the water, the man has to do everything he can to survive. On paper this looks like an everyday survival film, something forgettable. But director J.C. Chandor manages to keep the audience involved and interested. And no special effects or spectacle needed. With that, the leading character is all alone. No sidekick, just him. There is hardly any dialogue. The only times you hear the man is when he is trying to let other people know where he is.
What also helps this movie is the actor. The leading character is portrayed by Robert Redford. Already in his seventies, but this doesn’t hold him back. It’s one of Redford’s best performances. He has to communicate to the audience through his fysique, not through dialogue. Very hard for an actor, but a master like Redford does this flawlessly. We know how he feels in every situation, his face says everything.
“All is Lost” is a very strong survival drama. What sounds like a simple film, is turned into a lot more then just that.

Rating: 4,5/ 5