JC Chandor’s debut feature film as a director was the brilliant Margin Call and the best thing about that film was the smart dialogue. Therefore, it is a surprise that his follow up movie is almost dialogue free. With just one cast member – Robert Redford – the films stands or falls on his performance as a lone yachtsman battling to keep his boat afloat after a collision with a shipping container.
A brief voice-over at the start of the film, and a few lines of dialogue later as Redford tries to summon help are the only words spoken in the film. This set up provides a real challenge for the film maker. Can he hold the audiences’ attention throughout the long dialogue free passages? The answer is a qualified ‘yes’.
For the most part, the film grips with its realistic (to a non-sailor anyway!) portrayal of a skilled, though flawed, man using all of his resources and experiences in an attempt to survive. The 77 year old Redford delivers one of his best ever performances in a very physically demanding role. His gradual realisation that his chances of being rescued are very remote is very convincing.
However, at 106 minutes, the film did feel a little overlong at to me. Better editing of the middle act could have resulted in a tense and tight 90 minute film. Even with that slightly flabby element, the film truly picks up again with its ambiguous ending that is sure to spark many a debate.
Redford is being hotly and deservedly tipped for an Oscar nomination, though he may well be denied his first best actor win by either Bruce Dern or, more likely, Chewitel Ejiofor. Irrespective of that, this is a major achievement for him in what is most likely to be one of his last leading roles.