A Perfect Getaway - Una perfetta via di fuga

Cliff and Cydney are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they've found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins… --© Universal

A PERFECT GETAWAY is one of the more genuinely smarter thrillers I've seen in quite awhile. It has a clever script in the same vein as SCREAM written by David Twohy, who's also the director. You have characters that are self aware of things called "red herrings" and "twists," almost as if they are breaking the fourth wall, not to mention one of our characters is a screenwriter. And, to top it off, the film does not rely on cheap, gimmicky action sequences and CGI to keep things interesting. It's truly a first-rate thriller.

But I'm sad to say the film is not for everyone. To some, nothing really happens in the first two acts of the film. To me, I was so interested in the character development and the discussions the characters were having. The first two acts is all build up to an explosive third act where director Twohy pulls all the stops. If you're willing to sit and pay attention in the talky scenes, you'll be rewarded. Pay no attention at all, and you'll be missing a lot of crucial information that ties into a plot twist.

Speaking of twists, the surprise twist in here is, I'll admit, not that surprising. However, it's executed really well. And I'm sure some people will be put off by the twist because how it cheats. I'm here to say it doesn't. Like Roger Ebert said, it only seems to. The script is written in a way that the plot is tight and that there aren't any contradicting scenes that will bring the story down. It's as if Twohy found all the loose ends and fixed them up until there were no plot holes at all.

I enjoyed the performances a lot. Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich play characters in which I would love to hang out with. Zahn is as great as always in the geeky role. Jovovich also pulls off a convincing performance as the sympathetic, free-loving wife. Timothy Olyphant also does a terrific job making his character likable yet suspicious. Kiele Sanchez is great as his girlfriend. Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton play another couple, although I felt they were underused.

In the end, the film is a perfectly fine thriller that makes you guess and second guess yourself. The film truly benefits from Twohy's extremely clever script and great direction. I also liked the score by Boris Elkis and the beautiful cinematography. If you like thrillers, give this a watch. You won't regret stopping for this getaway. I'm sorry. I just had to do it.

Perfect Getaway, A (2009)

*** (out of 4)

The "old dark house" genre was made famous back in the silent days as we'd get a group of people in one house with the idea that one of them is a killer. That basic idea continues with this film, although instead of a house we're treated the beautiful locations of Hawaii. A newlywed couple (Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich) are on their honeymoon in Hawaii and decide to go on an eleven mile hike. Half way through the hike they learn that another newlywed couple were butchered. The film then has our couple meeting two other couples (Timothy Olyphant/Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth) with the possibility that one of them are the murderers. This 97-minute movie is pure buildup for the final ten minutes when the twist is revealed. I certainly won't reveal the twist but I must say I was somewhat letdown by it but not enough to really enjoy the film. This is the type of movie that gives you a rather simple idea and then works every little inch out of it and in the end we're left with a pretty tense little thriller that is sadly being marketed as a horror movie, which might keep some people away. The film benefits from the great locations, terrific acting and some nice direction. All six leads do a terrific job and it was great seeing someone like Zahn get the leading role. He's basically played supporting roles most of his career but he has no problem carrying the film here. He and Jovovich have great chemistry together and work well with the other cast members. Olyphant clearly steals the film as the ex-soldier who is hiding a few secrets of his own. Another very positive thing about this film is that the majority of it takes place during the daylight so there's nothing jumping out of the shadows at night. I think it's brave to try and build suspense during the day but the director pulls it off perfectly. The 2.35:1 aspect ratio picks up the entire beauty of the island, which really becomes a character all by itself. The film is up for a lot of debate over the twists and turns it takes, which is good. Discussion never hurts a movie and I'm sure people will be discussing what happens here. I personally found it to be a cheat but a lot of thrillers do this. No matter how one feels about the twists there's really no denying that there's still a lot of fun and tension building up to the final moments.

Unfortunately I had seen a spoiler review, by accident, prior to watching this, which did diminish some of the suspense in this film for me. However, in retrospect, I don't understand many reviewer's comments about the two halves of the film (before the murderers are revealed) and them not acting in accordance with knowing they did it. I didn't see that at all, and they were clearly concerned about people knowing they did it. What did confuse me, however, was WHY they were doing what they did, and whilst there were clues, some aspects were not given and to me they were the ones that I was questioning! I was surprised at the film having seen the trailers as they seemed quite (cleverly) misleading. It is, all told, a suspenseful film in that you don't know how the nefarious pair will be caught and how many/who will survive. Though in saying that it is a little bit Hollywood and largely predictable and the twists were seen coming a mile away. Perhaps I can say that with hindsight given that I did know some plot points ahead of time but even so, to me it was obvious anyway. I guessed quite a few things and was glad how it ended up.

Hawaiian born, Timothy Olyphant was just superb, believable and constant, and convincingly teamed with Kiele Sanchez who was feisty and super-cool. I've liked everything I've seen Steve Zahn do and this was no exception, I think it showed him as a brilliant actor to be so varied, chameleon-like and in such an action role where he is usually associated with geeky characters (love him in Reality Bites). Mila Jovovich was also great - in fact all the actors were well formed, interesting and generally believable making for a good ensemble cast in a gripping action thriller. I'd have liked to have seen more of the Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton couple.

The SFX people did a good job with all the bloody wounds, mutilations and injuries, they were very impressive and I became quite squeamish at a few. I thought it was wonderful to see the calm, beauty and grandeur of Hawaii as a backdrop for quite an ugly story. Whilst I didn't quite get a motivation for all the misdeeds that went on, it was still a very good watch and the script was clever, witty (making fun of typical action film blunders, I just thought something like "he'd have run out of bullets" and the guy goes and says, "I should have been counting my bullets" etc) and intelligent. A film is always getting an extra point for referencing Cool Hand Luke!!

With his latest film, director and writer David Twohy has once again crafted a story that stands on its own yet features characters we wouldn't mind revisiting in future movies.

A Perfect Getaway features a simple premise. Cliff and Sydney (played convincingly by Zahn and Jovovich) are having their honeymoon in Hawaii, while serial murders of young couples in the area are reported. The viewers are in for a thrill ride as the duo meet other tourists along the way, many of which appear alarmingly suspect.

For a major part of the film, these two hook up with Nick and Gina and the relationship between all four is fascinating to watch. Actors Olyphant and Sanchez are wonderful playing these parts and the chemistry between all four actors makes the movie work.

The cinematography and pacing of this film is as effective as what was seen in Pitch Black, although both movies obviously go for a slightly different feel. Twohy effectively makes Hawaii look like a paradise but also a remote, isolated and potentially menacing area. This makes the film both eye candy and a great thriller.

If anything, the movie could have been an instant classic but is ruined by a final confrontation that lets the viewers down and seems to take the easy road. It is almost anti- climactic in the way it unfolds.

Much like Pitch Black, the movie is still pleasant in that it mixes light humour with the drama and tension. Twohy firmly intends to entertain first and foremost without pretension and this is what makes the movie work. The film also makes for a pleasant repeat viewing, which is why it deserves a solid 7.

Get the popcorn out and enjoy the ride!

A Perfect Getaway was nowhere near a perfect film, but it was certainly a good film. The trailers made it out to be a much more non-stop, action thriller than it really was, showing the last 20 minutes. The majority of the film centers around paranoia. It is true though that the plot twist can be seen coming from a mile away, but how it is delivered is where it succeeds. While I personally wasn't surprised, how the twist was presented was quite original and chill-inducing. I'll leave it at that. Where this film really succeeds is in the cinematography and acting, both of which are superb. The locale is beautiful, all the colors are vibrantly displayed and everything looks crisp. There are some scenes with intriguing camera work that works well to add intensity and be intuitive. All the actors really give it their best and create believable characters. Milla was good as usual, but Zahn really surprised me. I never really gave him credit for how good of an actor he is until about now. Overall, it's worth the watch and is ultimately very entertaining with wonderful characters.