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The Terminal

Okay flick…

• Logic

Around the midway point, the head of the airport played by Stanley Tucci asked Tom Hanks to act as a translator between him and a frantic man carrying a bunch of prescription drugs without the proper paperwork. Just as it seemed the man would be separated from the drugs which he claimed were for his father, Hanks lied out of compassion and told Tucci the drugs were actually for his goat. (The difference was that animal drugs did not need documentation.) Based solely on Hanks’ word, Tucci returned the meds to the man.

Say what? Did anyone buy that? This scene was so phony because the obvious was ignored- that Tucci simply would’ve checked a drug database to learn what kind of pills they were. And it was painful to watch because the scene got so intense, important and drawn out, with Tucci questioning Hanks’ motives and turning their conflict into a personal one.

• Character, Structure/Plot

The above stemmed from the larger problem of the Tucci character. That scene ended with Tucci personally angry at Hanks, with an escalation in their conflict. But it went too far. Tucci was necessary as the antagonist, but turning into a villain was a different story. At the end of the movie, Tucci threatened to fire a few of Hanks’ airport worker friends if he ventured into New York. Hanks was legally allowed to do so at this point so the pure, personal hatred to try and stop him was extreme, out of place for this tale. Then it went even further as numerous cops blocked the exit and Tucci ordered Hanks arrested when he stepped towards the doors. Arrested? On what charge?! Yes, conflict is drama, but everything has boundaries and everything has to fit within the world created by the movie.

• Little thing

At the end Tucci’s right-hand man, the overweight black guy, gave his coat to Hanks and “allowed” him to leave against Tucci’s wishes. Tucci then ran outside as the taxi with Hanks drove away and realized the battle was over. Something was missing- Tucci and the fat guy exchanging looks.

Behind the scenes with Steven Spielberg and building the main set:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=118GmArZW04

(Embed disabled.)

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