Milla Jovovich in A Perfect Getaway

Milla Jovovich in A Perfect Getaway

It is a classic thriller without being classically boring. It turns some of the familiar tropes on their head. It had me going.

It is hard to write about it spoiler-less-ly.

This film demonstrates that you can make the old new and not crap it up with a lot of CG I (you know how I hate that when it goes over the top) or, for that matter, use any tricks beyond the old standard weapons and a little survival skill here and there.

Another thing about it. It made its story crystal clear. I have gone back to the early scenes and thought them through.

I wouldn’t mind seeing it again to review the progression clues but that isn’t really necessary. It figures pretty clearly in my mind. There is a nice review sequence towards the end that helps add it all up if you need a bit of a shove to get started.

Another thing. This movie doesn’t treat us as kids. It is an adult film all the way.

I will give it a 4 out of 5

Can A Perfect Getaway be a disappointing roller coaster ride?

A Perfect Getaway is much like a disappointing rollercoaster ride – it runs along a lengthy plateau until finally climbing to the peak and then quickly descending to an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are honeymooning in Hawaii when they hear of a grisly murder nearby of another pair of newlyweds. Hiking a secluded jungle trail to a remote beach, they choose to join another couple (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez) rather than run back to civilization. Eventually things begin to go horribly wrong and a brutal fight for survival ensues deep in the heart of paradise. (more…)

A newlywed couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii is just a total BabeFest!

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?

(more…)

A PERFECT GETAWAY, When Paradise turns to terror for naive newlyweds

A Perfect Getaway, DVD USA Release

A PERFECT GETAWAY with Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant Kiele Sanchez , Marley Shelton and Chris Hemsworth. Directed by David Twohy.

A PERFECT Getaway, not to be confused with the 1998 Armand Mastroianni film The Perfect Getaway, is a beautifully shot but ultimately prosaic thriller, which while not exactly predictable, will leave you muttering “oh, get on with it already”.

What could be more blissful for newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) than a tropical honeymoon on a remote Hawaiian island.

Forget cocktails on a tourist beach – Nerdy Hollywood screenwriter Cliff and apparently naive goody two-shoes Cydney are keen for a more authentic experience– hiking along the wild and rugged coastline of a remote archipelago

While driving through the lush subtropical countryside on the way to start the trail in their luxury jeep the couple refuses to give a lift to two skanky pseudo-hippies – Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton), which angers the tall and menacing Kale – a really scary looking character – could this be the mistake of their young lives? In fact the theme of affluence and ostentation comes up often in A perfect Getaway and the theme of jealousy is used to drive the plot.

Later the bumbling city slickers encounter Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina, (Kiele Sanchez) two zany but kind free spirits who help guide them through the jungles and tricky cliff crossing. Nick – it turns out – is a special forces vet and as Gina quips – “is very hard to kill.”

After some flirtatious skinny dipping amid the inviting pools and waterfalls of this island paradise, things take a decidedly darker turn as the Cliff and Cydney learn of a gruesome murder that has recently been committed on an adjacent island. And the police believe the murderers – another couple – are heading this way. Of course the hikers are about to lose cell reception … and thus all contact with the outside world.

While it does deliver a powerful twist-in-the tail, the plot is just too full of holes to ignore and the dialogue and character development is sadly lacking.

The best thing about A Perfect Getaway is the absolutely breathtaking scenery with its ragged bluffs, perfect beaches, lush jungle and sparkling waterfalls. (Does a sensuous, scantily-clad Jovovich and buffed-up, mostly shirtless Olyphant count as scenery?)

A Perfect Getaway, Sunburn Fun!

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.

Three creepy couples all meet for a Perfect Getaway

Marley Shelton :: KieleSanchez.com

When three creepy couples all meet in a secluded hiking spot in Hawaii, right after there was a murder in which the alleged killers are a pair of honeymooners. Which of these three couples are the killers?

I have to say that I thought this would be a good “thriller”, like Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, but it was really more like Scooby Doo. This film did a good job of making all the couples look creepy and building toward the whodunit ending, and the ending was certainly gory with a twist and turn or two, but I knew who the bad guys were. (more…)