Movie Review of All Is Lost (2013)

Normally action and adventure movies are about young men (and sometimes women too) rushing around, pulling off feats of strength and timing to save the day. 

If the actor is a little past his (or her) prime, then they act as if they're about twenty, and hope that nobody notices their laughter lines.

Robert Redford didn't bother with any of that. He played his role as a 76 year old man (though we're never told how old his character actually is). Nor was this portrayal lined through with zimmer frames and dementia. It wasn't there to mock the elderly.

All is Lost shows us precisely what older men are capable of doing. It's chock full of action, but occasionally the obvious solution may be thwarted by the fact that Redford hasn't the strength that he might once have enjoyed. The peril is heightened by the need - after pulling off a desperate but necessary feat for survival - to have a little rest to catch his breath.

Redford's character is very fit for his age. He is not at all in his dotage, but neither does he attempt to act like a teenager either. When his body fails him, the boatman diverts his energies into cerebral solutions, mining his experience or using tools to achieve his ends.

He's so good at it that the pace never falters and you forget that no-one's spoken throughout the movie. It's a clever performance riding a tidal wave of adventure, as everything that could go wrong does go wrong, until all is indeed lost.

Equal to the task, Redford's character is able to patch up his boat. All could have so easily have been well here, but the yachtman's inexperience opens up a whole new world of danger.

It's never stated, but implied through the mistakes that he makes, that the man hasn't spent his entire life on the ocean. My guess is that he retired, bought a yacht and takes voyages for the peace and quiet, or because it was a long-held dream to accomplish.

He doesn't, for example, know how to navigate without all of his electronic equipment.  Now that's ruined beyond repair, he quickly has to consult his books and teach himself how to use a sextant and compass.

Only that takes time, and he's unwittingly sailing straight into a major storm while he reads. The next eight days are going to severely test his will and ability to survive.

I always end my movie reviews by checking it against the Bechdel Test.  But I feel a little mean about doing it here.

The Bechdel Test assesses the role of women on the silver screen. It sets an unbelievably low bar, wherein a pass requires just two named female characters, who have a conversation with each other, and the subject isn't a male character.

All is Lost fails on all counts, but it was a movie about a man on his own. Redford's character could have been swopped entirely with a female, and it would still have failed the Bechdel Test. I really don't blame it for that.