#64: The Terminal (2004)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Stanley Tucci
Plot: “An eastern immigrant finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.”
Stock: Up
Previous Rating: #83

“I can’t ask him what he’s doing. I’m supposed to tell him what he’s doing. I ask him what he’s doing and I’m gonna look like an idiot.”

Score another one for Tom Hanks. You want an astronaut? How about a mentally challenged shrimp fisherman? A kidnapped ship captain? He can do it all, and do it all very well.

In The Terminal, Hanks played Viktor Navorski, an immigrant who gets stuck in a NYC airport terminal when his country back home begins a civil war while he is on his plane-ride to the USA. America doesn’t recognize his country as an actual country, so Viktor is basically stuck.

It’s a great concept and Hanks does an excellent job of portraying Viktor. You actually stop thinking it’s Tom Hanks at a certain point in the film. You also find yourself rooting for Viktor as he makes friends, a couple enemies, and even a romantic interest (a part I could have done without).

While Spielberg is normally known for his big productions, people forget he directed this relatively “simple” film. It’s a good thing I didn’t.

UPDATE

Last time around Tom Hanks took home the vaulted prize for my favorite actor. It was based on a point-system surrounding this list. Hanks will actually be a long-shot to repeat even though The Terminal has risen on the second version of this list.

And that’s not to take anything away from how talented an actor Tom Hanks is. There really isn’t anyone who could have pulled off Viktor Navorski other than Hanks. It’s my all-time “under-rated” performance, because it was never nominated for any awards and most people are quick to name other films like Apollo 13 or Forrest Gump when mentioning their favorite Hank roles.

Fun Fact: Each failed application for entry to the USA counts against your chances of eventually being allowed in, so Viktor was actually hurting his cause by applying every day.

Hint for #63: One of the last scenes involves vampires, muppets and a musical.

Peace Be The Journey