The pitch meeting for “All Is Lost” must’ve gone something like this: “Robert Redford…in a boat for 90 minutes…lost at sea…and he may have a chance to win his first acting Oscar.” And obviously it worked. This film is a floating one-man show. Redford is the only performer seen on screen for the entire movie, playing the only character, called (in the credits) “Our Man”. “All is Lost” begins with a brief narration: the ‘at the end of his rope’ amateur sailor reading aloud a letter he’s written to his family, apologizing for dying at sea, and other things.
We then flashback eight days to when his troubles began. This decision by Oscar nominated writer/director JC Chandor (“Margin Call”) was a huge mistake, because it lets us know that Redford’s character is going to survive all of the problems he encounters in the first half of the film, eliminating much of the suspense and tension. “Our Man” wakes up one morning to find that his small boat, the Virginia Jean, has struck a large cargo container floating in the Indian Ocean, causing a rather large hole in her side. And the sailboat is quickly filling-up with water. This is just the first of several issues which keep “Our Man” busy, and soon, desperately struggling to stay alive.
There’s hardly any dialogue – just a few profanities and some mumbling and grumbling here and there, which just didn’t seem realistic. All alone on the ocean in a ‘life or death’ situation, wouldn’t someone talk to themselves? Or the boat? Or the fish? Or the stars? Or to God? At least a little bit?
The strength of “All Is Lost” is Redford’s physically demanding and effective performance that generated Best Actor Oscar buzz, though he failed to receive a nomination. The film itself is solid but far from extraordinary. I was expecting at least one major twist or surprise, but this narrative is as straight as a sailboat’s mast. I kept hoping for a Bengal tiger or some Somali Pirates to show up. And I wasn’t that far off. At one point I had a “Captain Phillips” flashback when a Maersk cargo ship makes a cameo appearance.
Chandor does get creative with his limited camera angles. And the sound mixing/editing is impressive. The actual editing is a bit choppy, at times mid-scene. Only the final moments of “All Is Lost” truly rise to a level worthy of Redford’s efforts. And there is a element of mystery as you’re left to wonder what really happened (it is NOT based on a true story). If the entire film was as strong as the last 5-minutes it could have been a Best Picture contender.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “All Is Lost” gets a C+.