11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
True or False?, October 23, 2002
By A Customer
Everyone is pretty much familiar with the classic tale spun by Daniel Defoe.... (Or, if not, they should be.) If such is what the viewer expects from the "Robinson Crusoe" movie, or if you wish to enjoy a good moral, this is not the film for you.
As a person who is fond of all whole and decent tales, I can say truly, after watching this movie, (dubbed inaccurately "Robinson Crusoe") I felt ill. Not that the story was completely re-written, for, as we all know, a re-written story can be excellent at times. But, that through this lame attempt to make the racial issues in "Robinson Crusoe" (the book) palatable to the modern mindset; instead of focusing on the gracious example of Friday, or the moral of the story, this movie seems to wish to overlook any true illustration of decency.... offering, instead, the crippled climax of man's incompetence.
Not wishing the reader to assume this review was written in a furious attempt to squash any chances the movie might have for some mischievous reason of my own, I would like to assure all who may look upon these words, this is as unprejudiced and accurate a report as possible.
The best that may be said for this film is that the actor, (Pierce Brosnan) did show some talent in portraying George Miller and Rod Hardy's mediocre account of Robinson.
Though other of Pierce Brosnan's rolls are a deal more enjoyable, no one can quite dislike him, no matter the ruffian he plays. Though it comes close, I admit.
For the storyline itself, I leave you to rely on previous reviews, which, I'm sure will do a thorough job depicting and dissecting this fable.
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13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Strong Survival Movie, June 8, 2003
I don't know how the plot of this film compares with the book - I read it so long ago that I remember only Crusoe, Friday, and the bad guys from the other island, all of whom are here. What I can say is that this is an elegantly filmed, well-acted survival story. It grabs you right at the beginning and holds its intensity right through to the end. Pierce Brosnan is excellent as Robinson Crusoe. (I like him best in films where he has a chance to do more than look pretty such as "Taffin," "The Heist," "The Tailor of Panama," and "Evelyn," along with this one.) And William Takaku makes a believable Friday. In this version, Crusoe goes through hell, but comes home to a happy ending.
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19 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great! Really Liked it., March 8, 2002
What can I say? I liked this movie. This is the story of Robinson Crusoe, a shipwrecked Scottish noble. (Okay, I admit it, I read the original book, but I've completely forgotten most of it, it was a little over 15 years ago).
I found this book to be quite nice, even without the literary comparison. Brosnan plays a character well entrenched in the ways of his time. He is in self-imposed exile, traveling from place to place, until misfortune in the form of a shipwreck leaves him abandoned on a deserted island with only a dog for companionship.
Eventually befriending a native, (Friday) Crusoe learns crucial lessons on what it means to be a human being, and alters his perceptions on slavery and the human condition.
Overall, despite a few peccadilloes (Brosnan's Scottish accent was sometimes a little 'slurred') I quite enjoyed this movie. I recommend it for anyone who likes Pierce and can overlook the fact that it doesn't follow the book to the letter.
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