'TheTerminal'isthelatestHanks/Spielbergcollaboration,andthoughit'snotquiteasgoodas'CatchMeifYouCan'or'SavingPrivateRyan'itstillmakesforafunwatch.Theplot,aseveryonealreadyknows,isaboutKrakozhian(sp?)immigrantVictorNarvorski(TomHanks)whosehomecountry–thefictionallandofKrakozhia(thinkRussiaorCzechoslovakia)–istornapartinwarwhileheisinaplaneheadedforNewYork.WhenhelandsJFKairportheadFrankDixon(StanleyTucci)tellshimthatsinceheliterallydoesn'thaveacountryhemuststayintheairportterminaluntilallthehooplasettles.DixonthinksthatNarvorskiwillignorehim,escapeintoNewYorkand'becomesomeoneelse'sproblem'.WhatDixondoesn'tknowisthatVictorisanhonestman,andhewillobeytherulesandstayintheterminaluntilhe'sallowedtoleave.
ThecharacterofVictorNarvorskiisoneofthoseclassicmoviecharacterswhohasnoconceivableflaw(otherthanaminimalunderstandingoftheworldaroundhim–andanaccent)anddoseeverythinghecantohelpeveryoneelse.SimilarcharactersthatspringtomindarePeterSellers'ChaunceyGardnerfromthe1979satire'BeingThere'andJohnGoodman'sCharlieMeadowsfromtheCoenmovie'BartonFink'.Allofthesecharactersaredim-witted,butgreatpeoplewhoputtheirownlivesonholdtohelptheirfriends.
SomeofthesefriendsincludeAirportworkerEnriqueCruz(DiegoLuna),whoVictorhelpsgethitchedwithabeautifulsecurityguard(ZoëSaldana)andAmeliaWarren(CatherineZeta-Jones)anice,flightyflightattendantwhoNarvorskiinspirestogetoutofatroubledrelationshipwithamarriedman.
TheHanksandZeta-Jonescharactersstrikeupalittleromance,butluckilyitsnottoooverblown,it'smoreofasubplotthananything.
IttakessometimebutsoonNarvorskiisacceptedintoasmallgroupofAirportworkersincludingCruz,kindlyJoeMulroy(ChiMcBride)andjanitorGuptaRaja(KumarPallana),whoatfirstthinksthatNarvorskiisafederalagentouttogethim.Thesecharactersareallwellwrittenandevenbetteracted,butIthoughttheycould'vebeenawardedwithalittlemorescreentime.Afterall,thethreeareverygoodactors.ButIguessLunaisstillridingoffthesuccessof'YUMamaTambien'andMcBride,despitethefactthathe'sbeenworkingformanyyears,isstilltryingtofindabigrolethat'srightforhim(whichIdoubthe'llgetfrom'I,Robot').
It'sPallanawhohasthebiggestrolehere,andman,doeshedeserveit.Veryold,andveryforeign,hewasbroughttosurprisingcultfamewhenWesAndersongavehimtheroleof'Pagoda'inthe2001hit'TheRoyalTenenbaums'.Whodoesn'tremembertheshort,quiet,hilariousbutleroftheTenenbaumfamily?Hisroleinthisisagreatfollow-up;heisfunny,andsurprisinglytouchinganddramaticinaverytensesceneneartheendthatIwontspoil.InanyothermovietheroleoftheIndianjanitorwouldbeaneasytarget,butthischaracterisn'tfunnybecausehe'sIndian,butinsteadfunnybecausehe'sclever,alittlecynicalandwily.Hestoleeveryscenehe'sinfromunderTomHanks,orZeta-Jones,orwhoever.Thisisalongshot,butIthinkthemandeservesanOscarnomination.
Theactinginthismovieisthegreatestfactor–well,thatandthehugeTerminalsetbuiltonlyforthemovie.SomecriticsarecomplainingaboutanunderwrittenandunderusedCatherineZeta-Jones.Whatever.Icallherunder-necessary(Note:notUNnecessary,UNDER-necessary).I'mgladthatherless-than-interestingcharacterwasn'toverused,I'mgladthemoviewasn'tturnedintoastraight-outromance.
ThefilmsdeepestandmostinterestingcharacterisTucci'sDixon.Onthesurfacehelookslikeyourusualvillain,butthat'sonlytosimpletonviewerswhodon'tmakeanyattempttounderstandtheirmoviecharacters.Dixonisnotavillain.Asit'sestablishedinthebeginning,Dixonhasbeenworkingthesamejobattheairportforseventeenyearsandwantsdesperatelytoclimbupthelatter.Becauseofthis,hemakessurethathefollowseverysinglerule;he'stheepitomeofeveryby-the-bookbureaucratthatwealllovetohate.Hismottoisthatinhisworkthere'rethreeimportantthings,'Theperson,thedocumentandthestory'.InthebestsceneofthemovieDixonrefusesaRussianmantobringmedicinetohisdyingfatherinCanadabecausehedoesn'thavetherightform.ThisscenerepresentseverythingaboutthecharacterofDixon.
IwasalsointerestedintherelationshipbetweenDixonandNarvorski.DixonisatfirstrefusingNarvorskibecauseit'stherules,butasthefilmgoesonandDixonisfurtherperplexedbyNarvorskiitstopsbeingaboutrulesandstartsbeingabouthatredandjealousyforNarvorski'sjoyfulexistence.HerefusestoletNarvorskigotoNewYorkwhenheshouldbeallowedto.Inthefilm'smostfulfillingsceneNarvorskiescapesandDixondecidestogiveupchasinghim,andyoucanseeinhiseyesthathe'srealizedhowridiculousandstubbornhe'sbeenacting.ThisisTucci'sbestperformance.AnOscarforhim,Isay!
Itisflawed,ofcourse,inafewthings.Narvorski'scharacterisneverdeveloped,hestaysthesamepersonthroughouttheentirefilm,butthat'sfine,becauseHankskeepsyourinterestandisathismostlovable.Also,theendingstretchedonjustalittlebit…ifIhadmywayitwould'veendedwithDixonhappilywatchingNarvorskiescapeinhiscab,therestcould'vejustaseasilybeenimplied.Ithinktheendingisaveryimportantpartofanyfilm,andthisonewas–inaway–ruined.
But,nomovieisperfect,andIhavenoproblemacceptingthisasalightheartedpicturewithafewinterestingcharacters.
