Castaway (1986)

Castaway (1986)

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg
Screenplay by: Allan Scott

Genre: Adventure | Drama
Running Time: 117 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

[IMDb]

Comments: I'd like to say that I watched Castaway because I wanted to start exploring Nicholas Roeg's catalog (though if that were the case, you'd think I'd watch something like Walkabout or Don't Look Now). But to be honest, I mainly watched this because Amanda Donohoe is fucking hot. And I'm glad this film at least had that going for it, because it's mostly dreadful. If I hadn't read that Castaway was based on a true story, I would've had a hard time buying into the idea of the film (not that I was completely sold on it anyway). The first thirty minutes are incredibly disjointed, as we jump around from Oliver Reed putting an ad in a magazine to him marrying Donohoe so they can legally leave the country and live on the island. I have no idea how anyone would put up with Reed (probably known to most as Proximo from Gladiator); he's generally an asshole who looks better suited to be a killer in a backwoods slasher film. The film generally focuses on the communication issues between the two leads, but it's really hard to give a rat's ass about them. And did I mention Amanda Donohoe is fucking hot? Yeah, she doesn't wear clothes all that often in the film, so that's rather awesome (sorry, the inner 12-year-old took over again). But in keeping with that tone, Castaway's more suited to watch using the fast forward button, so you can get to the good parts quicker. I'll certainly give Roeg some more looks in the future, but I'll definitely be checking out his more respected work.