Cast Away:

                             A directorial masterpiece of Robert Zemeckis , the maestro of art direction and mute sequences; Cast Away is no other exception to his favourite genre of direction. Zemickis proves yet again how working in silence can at times be the most quintessential method of expressing man’s emotions, but I guess the end product is not just the director’s contribution but a whole lot of amazing display of an actor’s prowess as Tom Hanks provides what I might say another of his lifetime’s best performances.
                                   The story revolves around the miraculous manner in which a FedEx employee by the name of Chuck Noland is saved from a fatal airplane accident in the ocean and drifts off to an island almost 600 miles south of the Cook Islands (as is revealed later in the story) with a handful of FedEx packages, his Fiancée’s family heirloom of a timekeeper-cum-locket with a photo of her in it and his watch apart from the clothes he wears. As desperation starts creeping in him with every failed attempt of getting himself out of that marooned island, his frustrations increase with every injury he suffers; whether he wants to light a fire or get across the ocean using a fragile lifeboat , his attempts are all turned vain and he almost calls quits from life but even his rehearsal of a suicide using a log shaped like a human fails too, he decides he must go on and await with meticulous calculation the right moment and the right method to set across the ocean and this hope comes from the only friend of his in that island – a volleyball from one of his FedEx packages that had a face made on it from the bloodstains of Chuck’s bleeding hand itself- one he injured himself with while trying to light a fire.
                                    The most important part of the story is that you can’t lose hope however hard the times maybe and how much you fail ‘cause you must remember that you have to go on breathing, who knows what the tide might bring in every new day?

Catch me if you can: 

 

                       
                        Another of Steven Spielberg’s ‘true story’ interpretations and his work is true to the spirit of the film. Having shown that he is meant for such adaptations on real stories and incidents with successful hits over many years of his charismatic directorial career, he stews up the exact flavour of a blockbuster hit and a fantastic film ( which often do no go hand in hand) with an amazing story line that keeps the viewer flummoxed over what would be Frank’s ( the protagonist in the film, Frank William Abagnale Jr. and the many trade names like Frank Connors,….) next move. The best part is when you actually see Frank’s move every time and you are left amazed at the austere display of Frank’s intelligence that bamboozles the entire global banking arena and sends an FBI agent over the heels on a wild- goose chase around the globe.
                            The plot is simple and yet has a lot to tell and think, even though a majority would view it as a thriller by no doubts amazing, but it does have a lot to learn and analyze. The best dialogue in this context is possibly “Do you know why the Yankees do not win?” and the right answer being “‘cause they are so busy looking at pinstripes”.
                           Delving into teenage vigour and emotions, the influence of a father and the effect of a divorce between parents on the mind of a growing child, Spielberg takes immense care in portraying at every possible conjecture why, even though it is not a reason to be justified, Frank keeps the chase on and doesn’t stop to think whether he is doing something right or wrong because his mind is blocked by the thoughts of ‘ getting everything that was taken away’ from his father and his family because of improper tax conduct. He is lonely in his run and whenever he takes his move to come back he is sent back again on the run for he cannot get caught nor can any one catch him if he is not obliging. His identity remains as transient as his moves, his agenda and his itinerary; Frank submits to a Carl Hanratty who does comprehends his moves at last and tracks him down in his hometown in Montrichard, France (pronounce Montracha).
                                 The conclusion is amazing --- and I am sure it hasn’t been a case so common that one might predict till the very end as to what actually happens to F.W. Abagnale Jr.
                                   Unfortunately many crimes in the dictionary of crime may have a different meaning but law always seeks punishment on what has happened and not the physical reason as to why it happened; that is the part left for human beings to decipher, interpret and implement.
                                      Carl knew the chase was well over; the criminal in the law books walked into the department of Federal Reserve and worked as Federal Government officer for the rest of his life, a sheer spectacle of how one who had led life without any serious ambition but driven by impulse could be given a proper life and utilize his talent when shown the right direction; may be if it were possible there could be a substitute to punishment so that a good human being is born from every criminal when he has realized his faults and we eliminate bad by replacing it with good rather than spreading hatred through worse punishments