I always think of Robert Redford these days as being more of a behind the camera man and only appearing in front of the camera for small, but important roles in his own films. So to see him take the lead in All is Lost written and directed by J. C. Chandor, the writer and director of Margin Call, is a surprise.

More so is the fact that Redford is the only character in the film, apart from the ocean that is, an ocean that he is stranded upon and cast adrift without hope.

Here's the blurb for All is Lost:

Deep into a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, an unnamed man (Redford) wakes to find his 39-foot yacht taking on water after a collision with a shipping container left floating on the high seas. With his navigation equipment and radio disabled, the man sails unknowingly into the path of a violent storm. Despite his success in patching the breached hull, his mariner's intuition and a strength that belies his age, the man barely survives the tempest. Using only a sextant and nautical maps to chart his progress, he is forced to rely on ocean currents to carry him into a shipping lane in hopes of hailing a passing vessel. But with the sun unrelenting, sharks circling and his meager supplies dwindling, the ever-resourceful sailor soon finds himself staring his mortality in the face.

The trailer is strong and you can see from just this short amount of time that Robert Redford could well be getting considered for awards for this. It's the kind of role that an experienced and talented actor such as he could revel in and, if the film is powerful enough, be rewarded for.

I doubt it will stop there though and there will be plenty to be said for the writer and director J. C. Chandor for bringing such a story to life on screen, that is if it continues to be as dramatic and tough as the trailer suggests.

Here is that trailer through Deadline for All is Lost:

It's definitely not all lost for the film or for Redford.