"The Terminal" is a vastly underrated Spielberg film. It is about a man named Victor Navorski (Tom Hanks) who finds himself exiles in the JFK airport in New York City. See, Victor is from a country called Krakosia. It's a fictional Eastern European country that while Victor was en route underwent a military coup. Since the United States no longer diplomatically recognizes Krakosia's new leadership, Victor Navorski is a man without a country and can not enter the United States nor be returned to a country which officially doesn't exist in the eyes of the United States Government. So, he is stuck in the International Terminal at JFK (there is the roots of a true story here with an incident which happened in Europe, but that's as far as it goes).



What follows is Navorski winning over everyone but the man in charge of the airport who just wants to get rid of Victor but follow the letter of the law. But the official just starts to get petty, which is disappointing. Victor's basic decency shines through as he adapts to his situation and tries to eke out an existence.



There are no details about the rest of the plot which are very important to note, but maybe it is the combination of Spielberg and Hanks that make "The Terminal" better than it should be. It is a very decent movie, and I mean that in a couple of different ways. Quality wise, it is decent. But this is also very pleasant, enjoyable movie with a heart that is filled with decency. That's not at all a bad thing.



-Joe Sherry