Kiele Sanchez

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A Perfect Getaway

Starring – Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Ruivivar, Dale Dickey, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, Wendy Braun

Written and Directed by – David Twohy

A newlywed couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii run into two other couples after hearing that a psychopathic couple are killing tourists.

Going into this one I wasn’t expecting much. In fact, if Milla Jovovich hadn’t been in this one I probably never would have watched it but I’m really glad I did. I really enjoyed this one. It’s pretty run of the mill in the grand scheme of things and there’s a twist that should have been quite obvious to me, but it still managed to have me on the edge of my seat.

To raise this flick above the usual thriller standards are the performances of Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich. Olyphant plays this funny yet creepy guy who may or may not be half of the killer couple. His stories of being in Iraq and how he’s survived countless disasters can be pretty hilarious, and after each story his girlfriend has to chime in with ‘He’s just so hard to kill.’ which plays into suggestions of them being the killers. The problem is there’s another couple on the island who seem to be just the right types for psychopathic killers. Who could it be?

I’m pretty sure that anyone even remotely paying attention will see the twist coming. I’ve said numerous times before that these things are always way over my head and I like to think that it helps me to enjoy movies a bit more. This is going to be the downfall of the movie in most peoples eyes because it will take away from the impact of the film. Even with a twist you might already know, Timothy Olyphant’s performance should be enough to entertain you.

I’d like to go more into the movie but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. There must be somebody out there like me, whose brain shuts off when they watch flicks so the surprises are still there, and it wouldn’t be fair to ruin it. On top of great performances there are some amazing shots in there. I’ve never been a fan of leaving Canada since it always seems like it would result in a plane ride and I am seriously afraid of flying but after seeing some of the beautiful scenery on display here I may reconsider. Gorgeous waterfalls and crystal clear water washing onto sandy beaches made me wish I was there now instead of the freezing cold that’s hanging around out here now.

There’s some playing with the audience in this one as well that made the movie fun. Steve Zahn’s character is a screenwriter and Olyphant’s character had once taken a crash course in screenwriting, leading to discussions about the structure of films. This includes throwing in a ‘red herring’ to throw the audience off. They’re basically addressing the same ideas that the film itself is presenting and it seems as if they’re tapping on the fourth wall. Looking back on it now it’s pretty obvious what was going on but if you can get by that you will find an entertaining flick. It doesn’t break the mold but it fits just right and there are some strong performances in the movie that should help you enjoy it.

Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez

A Perfect Getaway (2009) ***
Dir. David Twohy
Starring: Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth

This surprisingly deceptive thriller takes a fairly old premise and turns it on its head. This is one of those movies where you have two innocents in a tropical paradise being hunted by killers, but they’re not sure who are the killers and who can protect them from the killers. Many reviews at the time of its theatrical release praised its original approach up until the killers were revealed, saying it went on autopilot from that point on. But that happens so late in the movie, it doesn’t have much left to resolve.

Kiele Sanchez Running...

It starts off like Deliverance in Hawaii, but writer-director David Twohy’s A Perfect Getaway soon develops into an enjoyably off-kilter suspense thriller that has considerable fun toying with genre conventions and audience expectations. While the plot twists will present some marketing challenges, word of mouth – and the casting of Milla Jovovich in one of the four lead roles – could make this Relativity Media production a solid performer for independent distributors worldwide.

Relativity’s Rogue Pictures opens the R-rated thriller wide in the US this weekend (August 7). Competing releases with built-in appeal – the female-skewing Julie & Julia and actioner G I Joe – are likely to grab most of the weekend’s available moviegoers so Rogue will have to hope that
its entry has some staying power.

Independents outside the US which have acquired rights from QED International may be able to find easier slots in which to launch the film. And they should be able to make more of the presence of Jovovich, whose three Resident Evil movies have all done better internationally than in North America.

Twohy-Merkin – who made his mark as a screenwriter on The Fugitive before adding a directing hat for Pitch Black and other genre projects – sets the story up as a fairly conventional urbanites-in-the-wild thriller.

Up-and-coming but nerdy Hollywood screenwriter Cliff (Zahn) and his new bride Cydney (Jovovich) are honeymooning on Hawaii’s lush Kauai island when they set out to hike to a secluded beach. Along the way they meet two other couples: rugged adventurers Nick (Olyphant) and Gina (Sanchez) and mysterious hitchhikers Kale (Hemsworth) and Cleo (Shelton).

When news reaches the group that a pair of serial killers may be at large on the island the couples stick together for safety – but also start eyeing each other nervously.

The film’s first half-hour seems to be laying the ground for a thoroughly formulaic psycho murderer thriller (complete with the now requisite scene establishing that no one can get a mobile phone signal).

But things get more interesting as Twohy offers up telling details about Cliff, Cydney, Nick and Gina, suggesting new possibilities as to who are the hunters and who are the hunted.

The tension is nicely off-set by touches of Hitchcockian humour, some of which provides additional clues about who’s who.

An hour into the story, Twohy throws convention to the wind by revealing the killers’ identities. It’s a bold and surprising move that just about works, even though the extended flashback sequence – spookily shot on digital infrared black and white film – that follows the revelation robs the story of some momentum.

From then on the film becomes a more familiar and slightly cartoonish – though still quite witty – couple-in-peril nail-biter.

Besides Twohy, the actors deserve credit for helping to make the big plot twist credible. Olyphant is especially engaging as the cocky Nick, who claims a secret military background and likes to refer to himself as “an American Jedi.” And Zahn displays his acting chops in a pivotal role.
Jovovich and Sanchez get less to work with but both add a bit of character depth to what might otherwise have been a generic story.
Shot (because of financial incentives) in Puerto Rico, the production uses visual effects to transform Puerto Rican locations into some impressive Hawaiian settings.

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Escapada perfecta (A Perfect Getaway) – Tráiler español, Idioma del tráiler: castellano Director: David Twohy Intérpretes: Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sánchez, Steve Zahn, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth Fecha de estreno en España: 15 de enero