The Terminal

The Terminal
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Steven Spielberg Walter F. Parkes Laurie MacDonald
Screenplay by	Sacha Gervasi Jeff Nathanson
Story by	Andrew Niccol Sacha Gervasi
Starring	Tom Hanks Catherine Zeta-Jones Stanley Tucci Chi McBride Diego Luna
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Production company	Amblin Entertainment Parkes/MacDonald Productions
Distributed by	DreamWorks Pictures
Release date	June 18, 2004 (2004-06-18)
Running time	128 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Box office	$219.4 million

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Empire
Filmtracks
Movie Wave
SoundtrackNet

The Terminal is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is about a man who becomes trapped in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport terminal when he is denied entry into the United States and at the same time cannot return to his native country due to a military coup. The film is partially inspired by the 18-year stay of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris, France, from 1988 to 2006.

Viktor Navorski, a traveler from Krakozhia, arrives at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, only to find that his passport is suddenly no longer valid due to the sudden outbreak of a civil war in his homeland. As a result, the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation, and he is no longer permitted to either enter the country or return home as he is now considered to be stateless. Due to his inability to communicate in proper English, the airport's branch of the US Customs and Border Protection seize both his passport and airline ticket, whereupon its temporary director, Frank Dixon, makes him stay in the terminal he came through. Left with no other choice, Viktor decides to settle in at a closed off section of the terminal, Gate 67, with only his luggage and a peanut can, soon making a home out of it. Much to the frustration of Dixon, who is being considered for promotion to director of the US Customs branch, Viktor chooses not to break out of the terminal but wait patiently until he can legally enter the United States. Dixon, who wants him to illegally attempt to enter the country so he can deport him, decides to try finding ways to make it difficult for him to survive in the terminal, slowly becoming obsessed in doing so. During his initial days at the terminal, Viktor encounters and helps out a flight attendant named Amelia Warren after she slips on a wet floor and breaks the heel of her shoes, who assumes he is a contractor of sorts from the pager he was given by Customs but is surprised by his respectful kindness to her.