This didn't feel like a fictional story, but nor did it feel like a documentary. It was more like just... Being there. We watch Robert Redford's lone yachtsman face one peril after another. But there is no attempt to big up the incidents - they just... Happen. Nor is there any attempt to fake the pace. It's not real time, but there are pauses, and then breathless rushes.. Again, just like it would be in reality.
A far less imaginative approach would have been to fill the whole thing with facile, booming music and to give our (nameless) protagonist a sentimental back-story. And we would have seen him Reacting, big-time, to each set-back. But no. Yet despite not having our chains deliberately jerked as audience, we certainly do find ourselves really caring.. So that when... But that would be a spoiler.
If you like intelligent tales well told, drama without melodrama, and have any interest at all in the ocean, boats or people.. See this film.
Plot: lone yachtsman faces one life-threatening disaster after another and tries to cope as best he can. That's it. Does this make a good film? Yes, it does, and a thrilling one at that! Because the film is so unforced, so natural, it is easy to be taken in and to share the anxiety and frustrations of the character. I deliberately do not call him "hero" because, thank goodness, we get no sentimental background stories, no far fetched physical prowess, just a man trying to get out of danger by keeping his head. As it is in real life when we don't have an audience to perform for. Extra points to the director for not trying to bulk up the film with mood-enhancing music and sweeping marine vistas.
As a sailor myself, I could pick any number of holes in this film but I won't because, overall, the film brilliantly captured the atmosphere of being a lone sailor in a crisis situation. Robert Redford's acting was superb. He brought reality to the situation with his initial feelings of despair and helplessness before setting about getting to grips with the problems in an intelligent way. It's a pity about the ending, which was so implausible. It would have been more realistic if he'd been rescued from the surface rather than miraculously recovering at depth. Oh and just one piece of advice Robert, next time you go on deck in a storm, please put your washboards back in and close the cabin hatch. Leaving everything open is just asking for trouble!
Dave S
While nowadays we mostly hear about Robert Redford behind the camera it’s one of the few films he spends in front of it that seems to have the most impact. All is Lost is the ultimate survival tale with Redford giving a performance worthy of serious awards recognition even though he barely says a thing.
The film follows an unnamed elderly man sailing across the ocean until his boat is damaged by a floating shipping container. What starts off as a small problem quickly becomes something much worse when it starts a chain reaction that could easily leave him stranded in the middle of the sea. Using his skills and expertise he must try to stay on top of the many problems he encounters if he wants to stand a chance of getting to land safely.
Directed by J. C Chandor as his follow up to the remarkably verbose Margin Call, All is Lost is an exercise in everything technical, from the shots Chandor uses to the way Redford portrays his silent protagonist, the film is all about form with Redford and Chandor making a fantastic pairing. The film’s grueling shoot only adds to Redford’s stellar performance, a mixture of desperation and fortitude.
The other character to mention is the ocean, a creature with a mind of its own intent on destruction through abject beauty. The man’s connection to the ocean screams everything you need to know about his family, his life and how he needs his isolation just as much as he loathes it.
The films main story may be one of unending optimism and survival but Chandor cleverly fits in plenty of other themes to treat viewers like the corruption of our planet by man as well as the disconnect we all experience from a now semi-automated world as the man finds himself alone in much the same way anyone can be, even if we are surrounded by people. All is Lost isn’t just a title, it’s an opinion, one the film hopefully encourages and dissuades against at the same time