All Is Lost - A terrific performance from a Hollywood great

An almost dialogue free account of one man on a boat in bad weather. Not perhaps the most tantalising one line summary but when that one man is screen legend Robert Redford, who delivers a genuinely captivating performance, it elevates the film almost into the realm of must-see.

The set-up is simple. Redford, as we learn from an opening voiceover, has left his family to sail around the globe in his yacht and has run into trouble. His voiceover reveals he’s almost given up hope and is ready to accept his fate. We cut to eight days previously and the yacht has just struck an abandoned shipping container in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Tearing a hole in the boat’s hull, Redford, listed only in the credits as ‘Our Man’, awakes to find his cabin filling with water.

It’s at this point that I’d find a corner and curl into the fetal position but Redford’s character, is made of far sterner stuff. He refuses to panic and goes about meticulously repairing his ship and damaged navigation equipment. It’s surprisingly fascinating witnessing the character switch into survival mode, almost like watching a hugely charismatic Ray Mears. Just as Redford has repaired the hull, fixed his radio and found a way to get clean drinking water, the yacht encounters a severe storm. The storm makes conditions considerably trickier for Our Man and his survival skills are pushed to the limit.

Director JC Chandor impressed last year with an ensemble cast in the financial thriller Margin Call and this time he’s working solely with Redford. He makes great use of the screen legend’s physical attributes and Redford, remarkably for a 77-year-old, allows himself to be put through the proverbial wringer as he’s battered by the elements. His face becomes gradually more weathered and sunburned and it’s heartbreaking to see his resolve slowly disappear. The one moment where he actually utters just a single word has enormous impact – it’s a terrific performance from a Hollywood great.