A Perfect Getaway (2009) Reviews

• Do NOT buy into the negative comments!

  oiblay2009-12-20

  First off, you need to know that I joined IMDb purely to undo the diabolically misleading rating that this movie has gotten. I must say, I was not expecting much from it, but as the credits rolled by, I quickly made the decision that this movie was going up on my facebook list of favorite movies. Milla Jovovich has never been a spectacular actress in my book. She's great in action flicks (I am a massive fan of the Resident Evil series!), but I've always found that she goes a bit overboard when taking on dramatic or real life roles. I was more than pleasantly surprised when it dawned on me just how good a job she did on this film! Granted, no one needed Oscar worthy acting to pull off their roles; every actor in this film held their own. From beginning to end, I was totally drawn in - both character and story-wise. Sure, you come across some clichés here and there, but that's totally to be expected. The entire movie is cleverly put together and is sure to keep you guessing every step of the way. The characters are well developed, the acting is great, the scenery and cinematography are outstanding - some very inventive shots towards the climax of the film - and the story will definitely leave you with the feeling that "it" actually hasn't all been done before. Every person that has rated this movie low falls under one of two categories: Either they missed an integral part of the story (I watched the film twice just to make sure I was right about this), or they have ludicrously high standards. Movies are by no means my life. I'm sure my rating of 8 is probably a bit biased (for some reason, this movie really did it for me on pretty much all fronts), but any rating below a 7, in my humble opinion, says more about a lack on the reviewer's end... not the film's. This is definitely a must see for anyone into this genre! One for the collection, even!

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• Much better than I expected.

  ValianceInEnd2009-08-07

  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.

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• Good thriller. Keeps you guessing.

  dustyjoe2009-08-09

  This is a good movie. However, it will probably not get a fair shot by most. The reason is the way the story is structured in which apparently nothing happens in the first 45 minutes. For today's average 18-34 audience this is almost intolerable as they are now conditioned to expect cheap CGI thrills and impossibly huge explosions in the first two minutes of the film (not necessarily a bad thing BTW). What underrated Director/Writer David Towhy is doing is actually putting your brain to work during the first two acts of the movie, all the while enjoying some incredible visuals of the Hawaiian tropical rain forest. Towhy concentrates on subtle character development. The acting is good. Mila Jovovich and Timothy Oliphant are the two that carry the film throughout. All in all I have to say that Towhy put out a fairly plausible story here with none of the CGI generated hyperbole that we see so much of nowadays.

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• Another winner from Twohy

  Cujo1082010-08-05

  Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are honeymooning in Hawaii when they decide to hike a popular trail through the lush Hawaiian wilderness. Halfway into their hike, the two learn about the slaying of another newlywed couple on one of the neighboring islands. The killers? A man and woman. Soon after, they encounter another couple on the trail, Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and his girlfriend, Gina (Kiele Sanchez). The four continue on the trail as a group, but it isn't long before Cliff and Cydney begin to suspect their new acquaintances of being the killers. There's also the shady hitchhikers, Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton, looking particularly nice with braided hair), who seem to be following them. While I was able to correctly guess the identity of the killer's just from watching the trailer, I still had a great time with this. The performances are really strong. I've heard others say that Zahn and Jovovich aren't a believable pairing. I've seen several instances of stunning women with less attractive guys, so that's nonsense. Aside from that, they're terrific together. This is a dialogue-heavy film with several amusing character moments thrown in, all of which the actors nail. Olyphant is the standout as Nick, a former marine with a bit of a screw loose. The humor actually works, the quirkiness adding to the picture. I also thought that the B&W exposition scene was well-done, better than most of it's ilk. These types of scenes are generally frowned upon, but here it winds up being a highlight. The Puerto Rican locations (subbing for Hawaii) are quite lovely, though the dangers of the trail aren't played up as much as I'd expected. It isn't an element that's necessarily needed, however, as I found the film to be plenty suspenseful as is. The killers were obvious to me, yes, but the I was more caught up in the situations than the reveal. For instance, the situation of the reveal made for a terrific moment. It's all in how it's done. While I could have done without the annoying screenwriter in-jokes, they don't ruin the suspense either. I'd say that director David Twohy has more hits than misses, and this clever slice of pulpy entertainment continues that trend.

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• "Twist" ending a slap in the face to anyone intelligent

  dalxray2009-10-28

  First of all, I can't believe SO many people are rating this film so highly as a great thriller when the first half of the movie is deliberately false. Remember people, it's only a good twist if it does not violate the internal logic of the film! If you spent the time to read a murder mystery and the murderer turned out to be some guy that wasn't introduced until the last page, would you be feel satisfied, or ripped-off? Unfortunately you can see the twist coming a mile away but frankly I didn't want to believe the talented David Twohey would stoop so low. Basically the first half shows numerous scenes with the Zahn/Jovovich couple wondering (to themselves) who the murderers are. Unless you are outright lying to the audience, denying them the chance to figure it out, these scenes clearly establish that Zahn/Jovovich are not the killers. Then comes the "twist" - they are in fact the killers and the filmmakers have been lying to you. Absolutely idiotic and a slap in the face to anyone who appreciates a well-crafted movie. I'd rate this lower but for the good performances of the principal actors, especially Oliphant. Rewatch "The Usual Suspects" instead.

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