ROBERT REDFORD IN ALL IS LOST

year: 2013 cast: Robert Redford rating: **1/2

Prepare for GRAVITY at sea, or CASTAWAY without the volleyball… The only difference is we never really get to know the character, credited as Our Man, played by Robert Redford who, at seventy-seven years old, proves he can still get around... Especially since the unnamed character finds himself in trouble when a shipping container, having punched a hole in the side of his boat, causes him to roam around the vessel to stay both afloat and alive…

From the very beginning we’re stuck on a damaged sailboat, battling formidable storms and other acts of nature… And what writer/director J.C. Chador accomplishes in place of character-development is the meticulous manner of fixing the hull while collecting an assortment of survival gear, from fishing line to a large blow-up raft: making it through each day under the scorching sun…

Redford’s lone wolf has more goodies than expected including an abundance of flares and the big raft that keeps him alive, much longer than the slowly sinking vessel. These easy-outs hinder the needed suspense for a two-hour survival film with very little dialogue and absolutely no backstory… And not surprisingly, Robert turns in a decent performance – mostly reactions from the impending elements with a few outbursts of emotion… But we never get to know the man to really make him our own i.e. Our Man… He really belongs to the sea: ALL IS LOST is her movie…