Good guy Tom Hanks is back stronger than ever. He’s as lovable, vulnerable and resourceful as in "Cast Away," stepping beyond the recent sinister roles he played in "The Road to Perdition" and "The Ladykillers." "Cast Away" had a strong thread of reality running through it, whereas "The Terminal" takes reality and infuses it with a fantasy aimed squarely at adults.

Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci of The Core) is the airport official who is only willing to let Viktor leave the airport so he can become someone else’s problem. Frank eventually reaches the point of wanting to get rid of Viktor by having his guards look the other way for five minutes, and he whispers in Viktor’s ear that he’s doing him a once in a lifetime favor. He even tells Viktor how to obtain political asylum, which seems to be a valid option to consider. By this time, Viktor’s command of the English language has improved and he has begun to make friends with some of the people working at the terminal. We get to know Viktor by the way he interacts with others at the airport. Even though Frank is the "villain" in the film, all of the characters are inherently good-natured and caring.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oscar winner for Chicago, portrays Amelia (beautiful yet toned down in appearance), a flight attendant with her own vulnerabilities and trapped in a confining relationship, though the world is literally open to her. She’s accustomed to hearing pick up lines faster than the international jets she flies, and is attracted to Viktor because he’s such a gentleman.

"The Terminal" features a strong supporting cast, who lend helping hands to Viktor, with humor and humanity, and a few zingers thrown in, which is what life’s all about. Joe (Chi McBride, a Chicago actor familiar as the principal on TV’s "Boston Public" and Cradle 2 the Grave) works for United Airlines as a no-nonsense baggage handler.

Enrique (Diego Luna of "Y Tu Mama Tambien") works in the food service area for the airline. He happens to be in love with Dolores (lovely Zoe Saldana of "Drumline" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"). She is a customs employee who must repeatedly stamp Viktor’s entry papers with "Denied." Enrique convinces Viktor to be his matchmaker with Dolores in exchange for a steady supply of airline food that never leaves the ground, and ethnic similarities start to come together in a very real sense. People have many more things in common than they do differences. Ray (Barry Shabaka Henley of Ali), the commanding security officer works for Frank and is a hard-nosed leader but we sense that beneath the surface he has that trait called "compassionate conservatism."

Without doubt, the stand out supporting character is Gupta (Kumar Pallana of Duplex), an 85-year-old actor who only recently made his film debut, though he developed a one man show several years ago, featuring some of the same feats he performs in the film. Kumar left India in 1939 because of his activities as a freedom fighter (terrorist to some). In "The Terminal" Gupta is a janitor with a perverse sense of humor, whose key purpose in life is to take care of number one. When he becomes a hero by delaying a flight, events are set in motion that resolve the question of what is in the coffee can that Viktor cherishes so dearly.

Spielberg is a master at taking what appears to be a limited story line in a confined setting (e.g., Jaws, Duel) and he gets you deeply involved. This is another Spielberg notch in a list of many excellent films that go to the heart of the matter.