All Is Lost

Year: 2013
Genre: Survival thriller
Director: J.C. Chandor


Plot: A resourceful sailor struggles to survive at sea after his boat collides with a shipping container and a storm arrives soon after.


The gist: All Is Lost is a neat little survival thriller that literally pits one man against Mother Nature.

Robert Redford plays a lone man out at sea who wakes up one morning to find his boat leaking badly after it collided with a shipping container floating aimlessly. He mends the boat, but then a huge storm blows in and his survival skills are tested to the limit.

Director J.C. Chandor, who also wrote the script, successfully keeps the film going smoothly despite almost not having any dialogue. Unlike most films of the same kind, Redford's sailor does not spend time talking to himself or contemplating God, loneliness and life. He just fights against the current and strives to survive, and it works. 


The good: Redford's screen presence certainly helps here. Points are also earned by the visual effects crew and cinematographer for a job well done in realistically displaying a disaster at sea.

The bad: You might not understand some of the things Redford's character does in order to survive, especially if you've never sailed before. There are also a few slow moments here and there, but no big deal.


Verdict: A solid survival movie that you can put on your shelf next to Gravity, Buried and Frozen. (7/10)