2. Cast Away - Chuck Noland
In Cast Away, Tom Hanks is Chuck Noland, a no-nonsense Fed-Ex supervisor who lives by the clock. Time is important to Chuck, and when he puts his wheels in motion, he gets stuff done on time. His life takes a drastic turn however when the plane he is a passenger on crashes in the middle of the South Pacific, leaving him, the lone survivor, stranded on an island. For the next 80 minutes of the film, Hanks is the only person on screen, and his masterful presence and talent keep us interested every second of the way. His performance in Cast Away is one to be marveled at, as his character slowly comes to the realization that he is stuck on the island probably for the rest of his life. Desperation, panic and fear settle in. When a title card is shown halfway through the film indicating that 5 years has passed, it dissolves to Hanks, 50 pounds thinner, with a massive beard and shock of matted hair. His eyes, body language and demeanor have also changed and its then that the meat of his performance take over. He has now changed back into the Chuck Noland we were introduced to, a man willing to do anything to beat the clock, devoted and self motivated to beat time once again. For this towering achievement in his already stellar filmography Hanks was once again nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, his 5th such nomination.