La terminal

Tom Hanks seems to be good at the "stuck" role. First he was stuck on an island in "Castaway", now he is stuck in an airport in "The Terminal". He plays Viktor Navorski and he is in America from his Eastern European home, but since there is turmoil in his land, he can't get permission to step foot onto American soil.

In a movie such as this one, you are greatly relying on the actor to carry it. This is a movie with no action, no real romance, no special effects, and no scene changes. Tom Hanks does an excellent job as the broken English speaking European. There are a few engaging incidents throughout the movie while the main story prods along: that being Viktor trying to get permission to walk outside the airport. There are a few other interesting characters, and there is even a bit of anticipation as you hold on to find out exactly why Viktor is in America. I liked the movie. I thought Tom was wonderful and I thought the character combination was choice.

'A good movie makes us forget that we are sitting inside a theatre'

Sometimes life corners you. You are to face every single move life coins in for you. It mostly presents you failures – but how well do you manage the situations? How well you vindicate the problems away?

Movie takes off with the busy scene of immigration officers starting their duties on a workday. Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) is on the duty – and to his surprise he gets promoted to the Field Officer command. Viktor Novorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at JFK from his country Krakozhia that gets devastated due a country coop. His passport gets cancelled when he arrives at JFK closing all gates to the New York City. Dixon determines him 'Unacceptable' because he is now a citizen of nowhere. With no answers about his clearance to the city, he settles down at the Visitor Transit lounge temporarily. What happens to him? What problems he faces? Why visit NYC? These questions surround our mind as we go much deeper past the first quarter.

We come to know about Viktor coming down to NYC just to make his dad's dreams alive. How he wins it – is through his happy-go-lucky friends Joe, Cruz, Thurman and Gupta.

Steven Spielberg answers all the questions in your mind. He prefers to show you the answers in the form of Comedy, Humanity, Romance and Authority. The movie makes you sit on the edge of your chairs, and never lets you down – Never even on a single frame. Based on an real life event – the 17 year stay of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in T1 of Charles De Gulle International Airport, France, the story pays a tribute to the troubles he faced.

Viktor Novorski speaks with his actions. His comical scenes make you laugh your heart out. He charms creativity and kindness. He weaves magic and sometimes even tears from your eyes. Frank Dixon on the other hand is the commanding boss. He takes on Viktor with his strict rules, bends him and tests his patience. The romantic half of Viktor is by Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta Jones). She although appearing not so much in front of the camera – does justice to her role. Cruz (Diego Luna) helps Viktor by providing him food, while Viktor helps him to unite with an immigration officer Torres (Zoe Saldana). Viktor having no job at T1, having lost his food coupons decides to cut through his problems by not looking at the negative side, but the positive way. He works at the Terminal, eats there and sleeps there. He turns an uninhabited gate to his house. He finds innovative ways to earn – picking up loose trolleys, promoting shopping and carpentry. Finally he wins the hearts of everyone at the terminal and makes his dad's dream come true – stepping into NYC and getting the autograph from Benny Golson.

The film teaches us many things. Love, Friendship, Sacrifice, Patience, Problem Solving and Elasticity – are some of them. Released on June 18th 2004, the film runs for 128 minutes. Editing and Cinematography is crisp – and the art director amazes us with rebuilding a real life set of the Terminal.

Verdict – Make a trip to this 'Terminal'. You'll never regret!

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) has just arrived from Krakozhia in JFK Airport, when there is a coup in his small eastern country, with the revolutionary forces taking the government by force. The USA does not recognize the new government and the validity of his VISA and passport are canceled. Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the bureaucratic administrator of the airport, who rules by the book and does not show any compassion for people, leaves Viktor, who does not speak English, in the international lounge of the airport with a problem without solution. While patiently living in Gate 67 for a long period, Viktor survives, learns English by himself, makes new friends among the employees of the airport and falls in love for Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). "The Terminal" is a delightful and uncommon fable about a patient man who is trapped by the bureaucracy in the international lounge of JFK. I heard that an equivalent event would have happened indeed in Paris, but there is no reference on the DVD, and the writer takes the credits for the idea of this theme. Anyway, Steven Spielberg is really magic, and was able to make a delightful movie with such a weird storyline. Tom Hanks is excellent as usual and the beauty of Catherine Zeta-Jones is still very impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Terminal" ("The Terminal")

The film begins with a cool look (green and blue), because Spielberg doesn't think of Immigration as a warm place to be for the few minutes it takes to clear a passenger and get him on his way… So all the cool tones are evident until Viktor starts to settle into his new home… He is going to be stuck in New York's JFK airport for an unspecified amount of time… From this moment we see Viktor stuck, trapped, unable to enter United States and that's the fun of this film…

Tom Hanks is really so calm, so likable, so emotional, so funny and so real in what he does… Here, he's a very dignified person who is extremely trusting and always full of positive hope… You couldn't insult him if you try… It's very hard to hurt his feelings… He finds the bright side of every angle problem he faces and finds a way for him to live with the situation… He has the virtue of patience, and the testament to hard work, perseverance, and humility… He loves people, and he experiences the culture in an odd way…

Hanks plays a Krakozhian capable gentleman whose name is Viktor Navorski who finds himself without a passport and a visa once both are taken from him by the powers-that-be at the terminal, because his visa no longer counts, since his country is no longer in existence, and his passport is no longer valid…

Catherine Zeta-Jones brings vulnerability and insecurity to her unhappy character… She plays the gorgeous flight attendant Amalia Warren, a very sensible woman who's always looking for love, trying to find the person that will be her prince… She really wears her emotions on her sleeve and is lonely… She wants some strong relationship in her life… Viktor and Amelia have oceans of things in common and it ends up playing itself out and that's a nice thing to play…

The story leaves a lot for reflection, and in some ways, Viktor's stillness allows him to be a mirror for the people working in the airport to meditate on their own lives…

"The Terminal" is a charming film… It looks beautifully and elegantly, but realistically

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, two of the biggest names in Hollywood, two people who could literally make any film they wanted to, and instead they settle on a feel-good dramedy... good thinking Steven. 'The Terminal' is a charming adaptation of a true story about a foreign civilian stuck in an American airport terminal lounge after his country faces war. The thing that makes this film worth watching are the excellent performances from the amiable cast and the sympathetic direction from Spielberg. After watching some of the behind the scenes as well, I was amazed at how the crew had built a full-size replica airport in a hangar in LA complete with working escalators, the attention to detail is astounding, and this makes the film that much more worth sitting through. 'The Terminal' is an entertaining comedy-drama that explores humanity and sentimentality, a spectacular flick from Spielberg and Hanks.