A steamy and erotic drama about a man and a woman who take to a desert island to live, Castaway is a true story with more than its share of surprises. No "Gilligan's Island," the movie deals with sexual tension and how human emotions can get in the way of a perceived fantasy.

Oliver Reed, in his best performance in years, stars as a somewhat lazy, British jack-of-all-trades facing mid-life crisis. He's just about had it with the London smog and everything else he encounters in everyday life. He decides that spending a year on a remote island may do the trick. But he needs female companionship, so he advertises for a mate in a London newspaper. Answering his call is young and comely Amanda Donohoe. After an introductory sex liaison and the signing of a book deal, the two are off to a gorgeous lost world located somewhere between New Guinea and Australia.

Once at the island, things do not go the way either thought it would. The island is a picturesque wonderland, brimming with wildlife and incredible natural sights. But there are human elements to be dealt with. Reed expects Donohoe to immediately become his sexual "Man Friday," but she states her independence and refuses any intimate contact at all with the burly, increasingly horny Reed. His frustrated attempts at bedding her down take this movie in unexpected directions, and allow the audience to feel his frustration.

Castaway percolates with beautiful sights of the island and the smashing pretense of Donahoe. Svelte and sporting dirty blonde hair, Donohoe parades through most of the film either totally nude or wearing very little, and sets erotic sparks whenever she's on the screen. You admire her tenacity and independence and the way she says no to Reed's wishes, yet the movie sustains such a thick air of tension between her and Reed that you just want to yell "do it already."

This may be amore straightforward effort from director Nicholas Roeg, but it is every bit as provocative as his other films like Performance, Don't Look Now and Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession. As in those other films, Roeg, a visual master, has explored and exploded the myths of sexual role-playing in a truly original fashion.