The Terminal   

Viktor Navorski: Tom Hanks

Amelia: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Frank Dixon: Stanley Tucci

Gupta Rajan: Kumar Pallana

Enrique Cruz: Diego Luna

Ray Thurman: Barry Shabaka Henley

Joe Mulroy: Chi McBride

Dolores Torres: Zoë Saldana

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Story by Andrew Niccol 

and Sacha Gervasi

Screenplay by Sacha Gervasi

and Jeff Nathanson

Of Steven Spielberg's last five films; three of them have starred Tom Hanks.  First, it was the gut-wrenching and emotional World War II drama Saving Private Ryan.  Two years ago, they teamed up again for the light-hearted crime-caper true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. in Catch Me if You Can.  One excellent movie followed by a good one.  This time around it's The Terminal, and it becomes obvious that the collaborative efforts of the director and star have grown weary.  The zip is gone and the movie suffers because of it.  

In the film, Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a foreign traveler stuck in the international airport lounge. He cannot gain access to the United States because his home country suffered through a coup attempt mid-flight that leaves him without a home, and, therefore, makes him unacceptable in the eyes of the INS.  It's a solid performance (what else would you expect from Hanks) in an otherwise lackluster movie.

All the action takes place within the airport terminal and Spielberg's direction is pedestrian and very lazy.  There are repeated slow pans to reveal Navorski looking at a television or a Burger King or another television.  There are also stationary shots of the middle of the terminal that Navorski soon walks through with a load of Smarte Cartes or something else partially amusing.  It is all played for cute little laughs, but soon becomes grating in the way Spielberg's sentimentality overtakes the movie.

Amelia, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is the flight attendant who wanders through the terminal and captures Viktor's heart in the movie's main plot development.  Apparently, because she is really pretty.  Every time they are able to talk, she usually rambles on about the married man she is dating and never stops to understand what Viktor's situation is.  She's half a character at best who is only presented as a means to set up scenes where Viktor tries to impress her and win her over.  Other than that, there is not much that is redeeming about her, and this attempted romance of the film falls flat.

The Terminal does have some nice touches, including Hanks' performance, the skill of most of the supporting cast, and John Williams' intriguing and whimsical score.  But the movie has a weak storyline that is compounded by non-existent and improbable character development. 

For example, Stanley Tucci plays Frank Dixon, one of the heads of security vying for the soon-to-be-vacant top position.  He's faced with the initial task of being forced to deny Navorski access to the country.  Eventually, his strait-laced, by-the-book demeanor is replaced by a more sinister, personal vendetta against letting Viktor into the country.  It makes sense that he would take his job seriously and always play by the rules, but it makes absolutely no sense that he would take such a menacing turn.  But he does, and Spielberg is able to establish a cheaply made villain for the audience to root against. 

There are a few moments where the film shows signs of life.  The repeated visits by Viktor to Dolores (Zoë Saldana) are filled with intelligent dialogue, chemistry, and wit.  But, overall, The Terminal feels a little shallow with sappy, farfetched resolutions.  It starts off slow and never really picks up speed to the point where you start to feel every second of the 2:08 running time.

Throughout, I was constantly asking myself if Viktor Navorski was a romantic genius, an unnaturally skilled builder, or just a lost foreigner?  Spielberg tries to portray him as all these things and, unfortunately, is unable to convince us of any of them.  In this failed attempt, the rest of the movie falls apart around it.