Perfect World

In 1952, Charles Crichton had produced a successful suspenseful movie with a derivative premise: a man (an excellent Dirk Bogarde) compelled to take a brat hostage with him because he was the witness of his murder and to flee with him across Britain to escape the police. This journey had brought the two runaways together and Bogarde eventually felt real love and care for his young hostage. Crichton (I find it hard to believe that it's the same man who 36 years later will cook "a Fish Called Wanda", 1988!) had construed his topic with a lot of reserve and sensitivity which bestowed his wonderful piece of work with pathos and tenderness.

40 years later, Clint Eastwood, freshly showered with praise for his dusky "Unforgiven" (1992) takes back this formula for a flick which basically was to be directed by Steven Spielberg but the latter had a lot to do with "Schindler's List" (1994), probably his finest moment. The amount was "a Perfect World" (1993) and it deserves better than the lukewarm reviews it received and stands as a winner in Eastwood's eclectic filmography. In spite of a few installments in its second part that one can deem as overlong, it has enough commendable stuff to grab the audience.

First, Eastwood's vehicle is helped by the work of John Lee Hancock who 4 years later will pen the scenario for another Eastwood flick: "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (1997). Because it eschews the formulaic ingredients of the movie genre, "a Perfect World" deals with and it encompasses various tones: from the droll moments Kevin Costner goes through with his young hostage to gripping scenes which incommodes the audience (the scene when Costner holds the black family in their living room with a song he hadn't heard for years), the script takes the viewer by surprise. It's true that suspense takes a back seat during most of the viewing but Eastwood's flick has other stuff in store. In the favorable reviews, it has been said that the relationships between Costner and his young partner were highly interesting. From their first confrontation, Costner has an evident interest in the little boy, a nagging curiosity that will grow throughout his run. In this way, his attitude, at least in the outset of the film is quite different from Bogarde's. The latter realizing that he has no other choice to take his brat with him expresses at first hostility and scorn before starting to get interested in him. Not Costner who is clearly interested with his hostage from the outset and for whom he feels affection. In the two flicks, the little boys may see in Bogarde and Costner the father figures they never had. Their households are characterized by an absence of father. As for Costner, he unveils to his partner, scraps of his anterior life which might explain one of his attitudes towards him. Maybe, he tries to play his role of father and this way to get close to him: "we have a lot of things in common you and me: we love Coke, we never had father". He wants to make him discover a new life, a freer and more maverick one in which anything goes (he asks him to write the things he craves to do).

Nature plays a momentum role in "a Perfect World": it surrounds the characters and is of a vivacious green which symbolizes bliss and hope. In this perfect world, the two main protagonists try to search for support, friendship, bliss but impending danger waits around the corner.

Eastwood's flick was also decried because the other sequences of the film in which Eastwood and his crew appear were rather weak. I don't think so. True the character of Laura Dern is a little formulaic but in one sequence the most important members offer their vision of a perfect world. And even if here he doesn't hold the main role, Clint Eastwood has a prime secondary part. The cast is a major asset of the film. The little boy is directed with care and respect and Eastwood gave Costner his last great hour, given the duds in which he acted afterward: the horrible "Waterworld" (1995), a waste of money and time and the insipid "Postman" (1997).

Coming after a pinnacle in his career, "Unforgiven", I feel that Eastwood wasn't hampered by this critical and commercial triumph and broke new ground in the fugitive movie with this startling piece of work. Give this movie a chance. It deserves it. And if you have the chance to see "Hunted", don't think twice. Eastwood's flick compares favorably with its 40 year old model. And after the projection, try to ask yourself this question: what is a perfect world?

Simply a great movie. I gained a new respect for Costner after seeing this movie. He's always good as baseball players and cowboys, but this character is really a perfect fit for Costner. Combines all the elements that add up to a great Costner performance: humor (Crash Davis from Bull Durham)+ dark violence seething under the surface (Charly from Open Range)+ Child-like enthusiasm (Ray Cansella from Field of Dreams). Severely underrated, A Perfect World stands right up there Eastwood's best behind the camera achievements. And in case you haven't figured this out yet; Eastwood is the man, so do yourself a favor and check this movie out.

And certainly one of the most underrated pictures on IMDB. Why? Beats me, since this is one of the best performances from Costner & Eastwood. Not to mention the others.

Maybe it's the movie a little bit slow at start, but soon we get too see a strong character development, what leads us to the grand finale, where we cheer for the outlaw and his little "partner" (also very good performance by T.J. Lowther). The ending is undoubtedly one of the most touching in the history of cinema.

All in all, Costner did great both as director and actor and he had a winning hand picking up co-actors and screen & music writers. Plus, he made this movie in the nineties era, one of the best, if not the best for Hollywood movies.

That's for it's just pure classic. Just like the Texas landscape where it was taken.

9 out of 10.

Clint Eastwood is an outstanding Director. He directs A Perfect World masterly and we really feel en emotional involvement with the characters and the story.

T.J. Lowther is fantastic as the boy kidnapped by Butch (Kevin Costner), and it is great to see an unlikely friendship develop between the two despite their huge difference in background and age. Costner becomes almost like a father figure for Buzz, and the ending is slightly overdrawn and predictable, but is nonetheless deeply saddening.

Costner gives a great performance as the escaped convict, and despite his homicidal tendencies, we actually feel empathy towards him at some points of the film and feel that he is actually a casualty of bad circumstances rather than a blood thirsty killer.

Eastwood himself plays a reliable part as Chief Red Garnett, but he is very much in the background and he plays a bit-part character as he tries to track down Costner.

I am a big fan of Clint Eastwood both as a Director and actor. If you want to watch a film that really engages you in watching character development and does not focus on action, then this is a must-see.

An average story made good by quality acting. Kevin Costner turned in one of his best performances. Just as his character would start to win you over because of his positive interactions with the boy, he'd do something awful and remind you that he's really a bad guy and that he'd taken the boy hostage. So even though he's a criminal, he's got a good side and obviously his bad upbringing took him down the wrong path in life. I though TJ Lowther was also excellent as the boy and was very believable. On the other side is Clint Eastwood as the tough law man who cares more about catching his criminal than making his bosses happy. And last, but not least, Laura Dern was also very good as Clint's cohort in catching the bad guy. While Clint relies on his years of experience, she comes from the psychological side and what she's read in books. They often disagree, but there is a mutual respect between them even if they don't show it. There are enough light moments to keep this otherwise serious movie from being a turn off.

*** (Out of 4)