We all see things differently.
I see the two movies as two very different movies whose only common factor is that the action takes place on the sea.
When I watched ALL is Lost, I saw a story of a man faced with survival conditions and a "man against the sea" type of plot. In short, I enjoyed the movie much more than the Capt Phillips movie or other Hollywood movies such as "The Perfect Storm." The comments that follow are posted to give a few reasons why I consider it better as a film.
When I watched Capt Phillips movie, I saw Tom Hanks in a Hollywood movie that is really more about a captive/hostage relationship and the US Military response (bring in the big warships and SEAL team).
In the film ALL IS LOST, I see a story about an active man who must save himself and survive until the point where he comes in contact with another
boat. In contrast, in the film Capt Phillips, I saw a much more passive man, and that man is saved by others (in what appears to be a US
Navy Task Force).
I think ALL is LOST is a much better film for any sailor to see and a much better story (even if the person watching is not a sailor).
The film's title "All is Lost" is also a key to understanding the point of the film. As I see it, the film's message is that even when all appears lost, one must try to survive and never give up. I think THAT message is much better for people to see, rather than "call the
Navy in to
rescue me."
I also recognize that ALL IS LOST is a daring movie in the sense that it has only ONE character and almost no spoken words (i.e. no dialog) and no narration. That presents a challenge to the viewer. And, the action is slower paced. For these reasons and others, it is a film that is very different from the usual Hollywood action movie. I am surprised it was even made. But I admire the courage of the film maker for making it and can understand why it is admired by many film critics.
Some sailors complain about the perceived mistakes seen in All is Lost. From my point of view, that is part of the story and part of what makes it more interesting and "real." Real people make mistakes. Even highly experienced sailors make mistakes. Then some sailors have to deal with the consequences alone. I say "some" as many simply buy their way out of the consequences (e.g. by repairing or replacing broken
gear, or by having
insurance pay for the damages or loss) or they simply ignore the mistakes they make or blame others with "Did you see what that fool did?"
I have seen forum comments about All is Lost where sailors complain that they would never do some of the things Redford does in the movie. I find that understandable and also laughable.
For I know that every sailor makes mistakes, but usually they do not admit them (if they even recognize them). IF there were a
camera following each of us, I have no doubt that almost anything we do in our lives would be subject to harsh criticism if viewed in closeup detail by an audience who can freely criticize it based on their own rules, experience, or habits.
Part of the success of any drama is to get the audience to question what they would do IF they were in the same situation as the characters/actors. Put another way, getting the audience to ask themselves, "What would I do" or to reach some conclusion such as "I would have done it differently" is all part of making a drama and good story telling or film making. So, I think ALL IS LOST is a much better drama.
Redford's character is defined by his actions (and slower pacing is still a form of action and even "inaction" is still a matter of choice of action or not) rather than by dialog with another actor. And there is no other character in the film from which to judge the MAN (Redford's character) and no other characters to help the audience to feel "loss." Compare that with typical Hollywood films that have a love interest that is used in the movie to tug at our heart strings. For example, in Hanks' "Castaway" movie, he longed for his woman (and his lost Wilson) when he felt he lost her (and she was presented as his love in the early part of the movie). All is Lost does not use another character to portray "loss" and the Man is not seemingly distressed by his loss of his
boat (something that would probably seem to be a great loss to most forum members). His stoic responses are more challenging to the audience. Redford's character is surviving for reasons other than to get back to his wife or
kids or girlfriend. There is no sentimentality as was shown in the Castaway movie or the Capt Phillips movie.
Most importantly, the film's audience is forced to try to understand the MAN and what he is thinking (without any narration) and what he will do to survive. This requires a more active imagination (or more work) on the part of the audience. That is what the filmmaker creates with his scenario. Some will like that, some will not.
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I have a question for everyone:
Considering how each man responded to the challenges he faced (one fictional, one based on some documented account), "Which sailor (Redford/Man or Hanks/Phillips) would you rather sail with on a two-handed voyage across a sea?"
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