A Perfect
Getaway
Starring:
Milla
Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez
Running
time: 98 minutes
Year:
2009
Directed
By: David
Twohy
Written
By: David
Twohy
A
Perfect Getaway is a story of a newlywed couple
embarking on their Honeymoon. Travelling to Hawaii to spend the first two weeks
together of the rest of their lives really is the perfect getaway, however we
all know that this title definitely has a sense of irony to it, and so does the
entirety of the movie. The story then follows the newlyweds trekking across a
trail to a beach on one of the islands off Hawaii. In the news it has been
broadcast that a man and a woman are the two main suspects of murdering a
newlywed couple on the main land of Hawaii and it is believed they have fled to
the islands. As the couple on their Honeymoon (Zahn and Jovovich) venture
through the jungle, they meet another two couples who seem seriously suspicious
and the question raises; are one of these the killers? Both have the perfect
persona to be a killer. One couple (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez) are
intrigued by weapons in which they carry. He is a former SAS soldier and was
one of the first men in Iraq. Also as his girlfriend call him, 'is impossible
to kill.' The other couple are a pair of hippies (Chris Hemsworth and Marley
Shelton); with the husband's temper being something to watch out for. Both sets
of couples are suspicious in their own way and the newlyweds must choose whether
to confront or run.
The opening half of the film is tense. We follow
Zahn and Jovovich, who seem smitten and unsure of what they are really doing.
Once they meet Hemsworth's couple we realise not all is what it seems and when
they meet Olyphant's couple we begin to feel as tense as Zahn does around his
character. The tension when asking yourself which ones are the killers could be
cut with a knife, and you will second guess yourself until the reveal comes in;
however when it does the film rapidly falls downhill. For starters it is a
little predictable albeit delivered in an original way, and we rarely see one
of the couples so it seems odd that they are potential suspects when we never
really see them.
I won't tell you who the couple turns out to be but
all I can tell you is it seems a bit odd and as if the writer has tried too
hard. We definitely know they have when once the reveal takes place we are
treated to ten minutes of black and white exposition that explains everything
that happened before this pivotal moment. It is as if we could never have
worked it out ourselves. Also when we find out who the mysterious couple are,
we see a strange betrayal right at the end which doesn't really seem in place.
The last half hour becomes slightly silly and this ruins the good tense opening
of the film.
The acting isn't bad in the film. Zahn plays the
same character as usual and Jovovich doesn't really have much to act for.
Olyphant is a huge potential who seems to have gone downhill since his
excellent turn in Die Hard 4 and
Chris Hemsworth is not in it enough to really rate him, this was actually
released before he made it fairly big so back then this is probably all he
needed, I can't imagine him accepting this role now.
The film isn't bad but it isn't particularly good.
The first half is slow but it builds tension and you keep second guessing
yourself, however the second half becomes a bit over the top and the reveal
isn't particularly shocking enough. The film could have run its course and only
ever hinted at the identity of the killers and this could have gave us something
to talk about, instead I finished watching it and really didn't care with what
had just happened, shame considering the first half of the film. It isn't a
film you should expect something really highly from. If you never guessed the
reveal then I would think you would like it more than I did, however as soon as
I heard this was a film with a twist I found myself guessing it before it began
(I've probably ruined it for you too). But I suggest you give it a watch for
the great cinematography and the fantastic locations which look absolutely
stunning and you wish you could have you own perfect getaway there, albeit not
an ironic one.
2.5
/ 5
Next film to review: THE FOURTH KIND
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