All is Lost

An impressively audacious effort, All is Lost follows a nameless individual (Robert Redford, billed as “Our Man” in the credits) as he’s forced to fight for his life after his 39-foot yacht collides with a shipping container. It’s a remarkably spare premise that’s employed to watchable, sporadically engrossing effect by filmmaker J.C. Chandor, as the writer/director does a superb job of initially establishing and developing the central character and his increasingly perilous predicament – with the movie’s entertaining atmosphere heightened considerably by Redford’s striking, consistently mesmerizing performance. The actor, saddled with a bare minimum of dialogue, generally does an effective job of transforming his blank-slate protagonist into a sympathetic figure, although, by that same token, it’s clear that the movie’s midsection isn’t quite as compelling or engrossing as one might’ve anticipated (ie Chandor is, for the most part, concerned with the gritty nuts-and-bolts of the main character’s seafaring exploits). The movie ultimately does progress from passable to enthralling, however, with the growing emphasis on Our Man’s battle with the elements and efforts at staying alive lending the proceedings an unexpectedly gripping feel. By the time the absolutely captivating final stretch rolls around, All is Lost has certainly established itself as an intriguing cinematic experiment that hits more often than it misses – with Redford’s dynamic turn as the mysterious protagonist playing an integral role in the movie’s success.

*** out of ****