Viktor Navorksi (Tom Hanks) falls into a bureaucratic crack in the system when his plane lands at New York's JFK airport from the fictitious country of Krakozhia. Unbeknownst to Navorski, his country fell prey to a military coup while he was in flight, causing it to be wiped from the map. This effectively renders his passport null and void, meaning he cannot legally enter America, nor return to his now nonexistent home. Barely able to speak English, the hapless Navorski is offered a sanctuary of sorts by kindly staff who allow him to freely inhabit the airport. With little money to his name, Navorski has to quickly shed his feelings of displacement, confusion, and alienation to survive. Fortunately he has a resourceful nature, and makes a meager amount of money for food by returning baggage carts. As time passes he becomes more comfortable with his surroundings, even finding time to pursue a passing stewardess, Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who has captured his heart. But airport denizens such as customs chief Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), who is a constant thorn in Navorski's side, remind him of his outsider status throughout the ordeal.
Director Steven Spielberg uses the airport setting of THE TERMINAL to represent a microcosmic view of the immigrant experience in American society. Drawing on a fine performance from Hanks, and a supporting cast who provide plenty of laughs, Spielberg handles some delicate subject matter with an acute sensitivity, providing a heartfelt tale in the process.
Theatrical Release: June 18, 2004
DVD Features:
Region 1
Snap Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
DTS 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Executive Producer
Andrew Niccol: Director
Executive Producer
Jason Hoffs: Executive Producer, THE TERMINAL (2004)
Executive Producer
Patricia Whitcher: Producer
Director of Photography
Janusz Kaminski:
Review 1:
"Mr. Hanks is a man with nothing left to prove. His performance is so easy and amiable that its nuances emerge only in retrospect."
Source: New York Times
p.E1 06/18/2004
Review 2:
"Tom Hanks underplays with all the confidence of a man who has nothing left to prove....His cautious smiles and blank stares leave a pleasing deadpan residue."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.87-8 09/01/2004
Review 3:
"Hanks gives a charming, whimsical performance..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.E27 11/25/2004
Review 4:
"A sweet and delicate comedy, so precisely devised you hold your breath..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.11 11/05/2004
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