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| Terminal, The |
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  (9/10)
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Runtime: 128 |
| Public Rating: 7.43 (76 votes) |
Director: Steven Spielberg |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Comedy/Drama |
Year: 2004 |
| Writer(s): Andrew Niccol (Story), Sacha Gervasi, and Jeff Nathanson |
| Distributor: Dreamworks |
| Reviewed by: Nate Anderson |
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Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna.
"Do you ever feel like you're living at the airport?"
The Terminal is without a doubt, one of the finest films likely to come out this summer. Tom Hanks gives a wonderful performance as Victor Navorski, a man who finds himself stranded in the International Terminal of JFK Airport in New York City. His small Eastern European country is in a state of war and while Victor is in the air, his Government is overthrown and he is left without a country. Since his passport and travel Visa are now invalid, he is unable to enter the United States, but he also is unable to return home.
Victor decides to make the best of it, and sets up a spot for himself in Gate 67, making a makeshift bed for himself and devotes himself to trying to get home. Initially, the customs agents find it frustrating until finally they get used to him coming through everyday. Victor assimilates himself nicely into the workings of the airport, using his ingenuity to solve problems such as money and food.
He also winds up bonding with many of the employees of the airport including Enrique (Diego Luna), who delivers the airline meals for each flight. He gets Victor to flirt with an INS agent on his behalf in exchange for free meals. He also meets Mulroy (Chi McBride) a baggage handler who hosts a poker game where the players play for items found in the lost and found instead of money.
On the other hand, there is Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), one of the higher ups in the Homeland Security who is impatiently trying to get Navorski to leave the terminal and become someone else's problem. But Navorski stays simply because he was told that he could not leave.
One day, Victor meets Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman who has her share of bad relationships, which she seems to start talking about at the drop of a hat without much prompting. Victor starts to fall in love with her even though she continues to push him away time and again, fearing another heartbreak.
Spielberg and his writers find a nice balance with the film. The comedy is kept on a very normal and human level and never seems outrageous or over the top. Tom Hanks gives a superb performance as Victor with a Eastern European accent that never seems false or exaggerated.
Overall, the entire film is a wonderful comedy with plenty of great perfomances and a truely original story that is surprisingly unpredictable. Definately worth seeing.
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