All Is Lost

Robert Redford is having a little snooze on his yacht as it leisurely sails about the middle of the Indian Ocean, when he is rudely awoken by a giant shipping container that has punched a hole into the side of his yacht. Taking on water, Redford sets about repairing the damage, but this is just the first in an onslaught of events that are about to push a man to his absolute breaking point.

A meeting point between Gravity and The Old Man & The Sea, All Is Lost can be read as either a visceral, realistic thriller of one man versus the elements, or a philosophical look at the endurance, courage and survival instincts of humanity. Virtually wordless for its duration, All Is Lost is brilliantly bare-boned, supported by a virtuoso performance by Redford and precision direction by J.C. Chandor.

Chandor previously brought us the overlooked gem Margin Call, which was filled out with numerous actors and verbose dialogue. He ditches all of that in favour of just one actor this time round, and as Chandor also wrote the screenplay, litters the movie with some marvellous tiny moments, such as when his boat first starts taking on water, Redford saves his diary, but not the life-saving radio. These brief glimpses into the inner workings of Redford's character are fantastic, leaving him open to a myriad of interpretations in the inevitable post-movie discussions.

Then there's Redford himself, who delivers in the risk-taking role in a way you don't normally see in actors pushing 80 years old. There are so many moments when, in other movies, the lead character would likely have an emotional, Oscar-y scene. But Redford is so insular, so incredibly intelligent in his reactions and expressions, that he gives us so much by doing so little.

There are some elements that stop it from being an out and out masterpiece - the score can border on intrusive at times, and the run of bad luck placed in Redford's path gets a little repetitive towards the end -but these don't detract from what is a stellar piece of movie-making with a once in a lifetime performance.