![]() ![]() That triumphant good-man-against-the-system element is the best part of this touching, poignant, often funny film. And he succeeds without giving in to bitterness. He is surrounded by riches beyond his grasp and must rely on raw ingenuity for the bare essentials. Instead of cracking open coconuts with ice skates, Hanks eats condiments on crackers and works like mad to gather enough luggage carts to buy a burger in the food court. Isolated amid hustle, bustle and consumerism that means nothing to him, Viktor struggles for a comfortable bed and a meager meal. Despite the throng, Viktor starts out just as lost and alone as Hanks’ loinclothed FedEx employee ever was. Instead of a flight stranding him on a desert island, this one strands the actor in a crowded airport. It becomes his home away from home and a place where he develops more community in a few months than some people do in a lifetime.įans of Tom Hanks films may also draw comparisons to his role in Cast Away. The longer he lives in the terminal, the more control he exerts over his environment (a microcosm of melting-pot America). At first Viktor is overwhelmed by his predicament, the chaos back home, the busyness of JFK and his inability to communicate. For Viktor, life is like a box of matryoshkas he never knows what he’s gonna get, though it’s a safe bet each experience will be a little smaller and more manageable than the one that came before. Much like the noble, socially disenfranchised soul who earned Hanks a 1994 Oscar, Viktor exudes an unaffected sincerity and decency that has us on his side right away. How much we take for granted! Also, through Viktor’s eyes viewers get a sense of how overwhelming and scary America must feel to some foreigners. It’s also humbling to see a foreigner willing to spend months in political limbo for the right to roam U.S. Months of patience and perseverance take on added meaning when we learn that Viktor’s trip to America isn’t for himself, but to fulfill a promise to someone else. Viktor extends kindness to Dixon even after the bureaucrat has been cruel to him. Friends make significant sacrifices for each other. Another sweet alliance forms between Viktor and Enrique, a shy young man eager to learn more about a pretty co-worker. Viktor is a gentleman as he interacts with a pretty flight attendant named Amelia (a stark contrast from the way most men treat her, which attracts her to him). It’s the foundation of this country.” Dixon is such a sly, unlikable antagonist that his moral flaws (dishonesty, arrogance, vindictiveness, prejudice, blackmail, etc.) are clearly examples of how not to behave. Regarding that incident, even Dixon’s boss respects the heart behind Viktor’s actions, telling his by-the-book subordinate, “Compassion, Frank. At one point he takes pity on a desperate man and becomes a folk hero for putting the individual ahead of the system (unfortunately, it involves lying to officials). He generally does what’s right, resisting the temptation to violate the law or exploit loopholes. He’s a talented craftsman with a strong work ethic. He uses travel literature and the crawl at the bottom of a cable news channel to help teach himself English. When things don’t go his way, Viktor doesn’t whine or make demands he educates and applies himself in order to improve his situation. He offers assistance and advice to strangers in need. Viktor is polite, patient and respectful of others. While making the best of a horrendous situation (and making friends along the way), this kindhearted, resourceful “man without a country” becomes a local hero … and a pebble in Dixon’s shoe. Dixon hands Viktor a few meal vouchers, a pager and a 15-minute phone card, and tells him to hang out in the international transit lounge. And since there isn’t a country to which to return him, he’s stuck in the airport with barely enough understanding of English to find a men’s room.Ī self-serving bureaucrat named Frank Dixon tells the visitor he has fallen through a small crack in the system (“You are, at this time, simply unacceptable”). Consequently, Viktor’s passport is invalid and he can’t legally set foot on U.S. For all intents and purposes, it no longer exists. Kennedy International Airport, he learns that his native Krakozhia (a small, Eastern European republic created for the movie) has suffered a military coup. Just as mild-mannered Viktor Navorski touches down at New York’s John F.
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