Joe is diagnosed with an incurable disease, quits his dehumanising job, and accepts an offer to briefly "live like a king, die like a man".
But to fulfill his agreement, he must willingly jump into a live volcano on the island of Waponi Woo in order to appease the volcano god.
On the way to the island, Joe meets a series of interesting characters, then boards a yacht, captained by Patricia Graynamore.
During the voyage Joe and Patricia survive disaster, fall in love, and finally arrive at the island where they face their destiny.......
On repeat viewings, its clear to see why this failed at the box office, it was pitched as some goofy romantic comedy, but its more than that. It's a fairy tale, a fable about mans destiny and goals, and how very few of us actually chase them.
Plus, it's very dark to boot. You'd be forgiven if you thought you were watching a Tim Burton, even Fritz Lang film to begin with, and it's this first part of the film that makes or breaks the rest.
Joe's workplace is a heady mix of Brazil and Metropolis, and its a cold, bleak depiction of an unwanted job. If you can appreciate the jet black humour in this, the rest of the film is more lighter, more of a relief, which is ironic as we are following Joe to his most certain demise.
Ryan plays three characters in this, and I believe she is a subliminal narrative arc, depicting Joes different stages of character, as each character Ryan plays becomes more confident, more stronger than the last, much like Joes metamorphosis during the film.
Hanks is as reliable as he ever was in his kooky stage, and the fantastic chemistry is evident between the two.
It's certainly an acquired taste, it can be pretty bleak in parts, but it has been unfairly overlooked.
But to fulfill his agreement, he must willingly jump into a live volcano on the island of Waponi Woo in order to appease the volcano god.
On the way to the island, Joe meets a series of interesting characters, then boards a yacht, captained by Patricia Graynamore.
During the voyage Joe and Patricia survive disaster, fall in love, and finally arrive at the island where they face their destiny.......
On repeat viewings, its clear to see why this failed at the box office, it was pitched as some goofy romantic comedy, but its more than that. It's a fairy tale, a fable about mans destiny and goals, and how very few of us actually chase them.
Plus, it's very dark to boot. You'd be forgiven if you thought you were watching a Tim Burton, even Fritz Lang film to begin with, and it's this first part of the film that makes or breaks the rest.
Joe's workplace is a heady mix of Brazil and Metropolis, and its a cold, bleak depiction of an unwanted job. If you can appreciate the jet black humour in this, the rest of the film is more lighter, more of a relief, which is ironic as we are following Joe to his most certain demise.
Ryan plays three characters in this, and I believe she is a subliminal narrative arc, depicting Joes different stages of character, as each character Ryan plays becomes more confident, more stronger than the last, much like Joes metamorphosis during the film.
Hanks is as reliable as he ever was in his kooky stage, and the fantastic chemistry is evident between the two.
It's certainly an acquired taste, it can be pretty bleak in parts, but it has been unfairly overlooked.