A Perfect Getaway (2009)

Director: David Twohy (Pitch Black, The Chronicles Of Riddick)
Writer: David Twohy(Pitch Black, The Chronicles Of Riddick, G.I. Jane, Waterworld)
Starring: Steve Zahn (Riding In Cars With Boys), Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), Timothy Olyphant (Live Free Or Die Hard), Kiele Sanchez ("Lost"), Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek), Marley Shelton (Grindhouse).
Five Word Review: Genuine Thriller With Self-Referential Humour

Review: After watching the relatively poor adverts for this movie, I was filled with all kinds of trepidations. I knew I had to go see this film, mostly to preview Chris Hemsworth's acting in anticipation of the upcoming Thor movie, but it would be a stretch to say I was actually looking forward to it.

The adverts served only to point out the bare bones of the plot - 6 strangers, 2 killers, dead bodies, the usual. But, strangely, there was nothing else in the adverts. Nothing. Nadda. Not even a mention of the "stars" of the flick, although this isn't a surprise as none of them, good actors though they may be, would be what many consider A-list.

Hopefully, after the release of this movie, that situation changes.

To put it bluntly - the adverts do not do this movie justice in the slightest (although, from what I've seen online, the full trailer released in other countries does seem to serve the movie a bit better than the ones shown on UK TV). For starters, every single actor and actress put in a great performance, and created true chemistry as an ensemble. It's hard to pick one outstanding moment, as each character showcased some stellar scenes throughout, but my personal favourite moment happens early on in the movie, with Chris Hemsworth's first appearance on screen. I won't spoil it for anyone who has yet to watch, but to all the doubters out there as to whether this man can play Thor - his beard alone contained enough stage-presence to steal the entire scene from Shelton, Zahn and Jovovich. That's right, his beard.

Good performances from potentially great actors - so far so typical for a horror movie, right? About now is where most reviews of most films in this genre would begin to discuss the poor direction, terrible script and all the campy, cheesy one-liners, correct? Not so with this movie.

The script was bang on the money in my opinion, filled with enough genuine tension and interest amongst the characters to keep you hanging on every scene, every step of the way. I must admit, the directing did become a bit bizarre during some of the more "tense" chase scenes, and unfortunately there was the odd one or two clichéd lines, but all in all the dialogue and camera work remained well above the average for the genre, in fact, for any genre.

There's very little I can say about the plot without ruining the experience (and I implore you all to go to your local theatre and actually experience it now while you can - this is definitely a movie that benefits from being seen on the big screen), so I'll try to sum things up in a brief synopsis - a newly-wed couple (Jovovich, Zahn) arrive in Hawaii to begin their honeymoon with a trek to a secluded beach.

En route they encounter another couple of couples (Olyphant & Sanchez, Hemsworth & Shelton) and discover the news of a (would-you-believe) couple of murderers, also touring Hawaii, with a penchant for removing their victim's teeth.

An edgy game of cat and mouse stalemates between our three couples, as each begins to suspect the other yet are simultaneously forced to bond together in shaky friendship for fear of retribution, should they say the wrong thing to the wrong couple and find themselves joining the body count. Things slowly develop in typical thriller/horror fashion, but it is the way that these typical revelations are handled that makes this film stand out from its peers.

Everything is taken with a self-aware pinch of salt, giving this film a grounded realism that makes you both laugh and shudder with the thought that this could truly happen to you. Some great, audience-winking scenes include one in which Olyphant and Zahn wax lyrical about the staple of horror movies, red herrings, and a similar exchange between the principle characters about being in the B-List - i.e. people always "knowing your face", but never quite remembering just who you are.

All this makes for a light, fun-filled first half, with the audience laughing along knowingly with the characters while trying to guess who is going to stab whom in the back. Thankfully, the film doesn't let up too much when it switches gears for the latter part of the film, where the killing ramps up and the laughter dies down, but thankfully the fight scenes are every bit as entertaining as the comedy.

A final note on the performances - I was particularly impressed with how far Milla Jovovich's acting chops have developed. She stands a million light years apart from her "quirky foreigner" turn in The Fifth Element, and, if she continues to turn in such strong lead performances, it won't be long until she is finally regarded with some respect among her peers. She had better watch her back though - the rest of this cast aren't far behind.

Scoring: 7/10 - A brilliant ride and rises far above expectations, however the movie is let down by the few clichés that Twohy let slip past quality control, particularly towards the end. Unsure how this will transfer over to DVD, but for an enjoyable summer movie without the pomp and CGI of the blockbusters, A Perfect Getaway is right on the money.

For Fans Of: Hatchet (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), The Hole (2001).
Upcoming: The Fourth Kind (2009, Milla Jovovich), Calvin Marshall (2010, Steve Zahn), Elektra Luxx (2010, Timothy Olyphant), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010, Milla Jovovich), Our Lady Of Victory (2010, Marley Shelton), The Cabin In The Woods (2010, Chris Hemsworth), Red Dawn (2010, Chris Hemsworth), The Brazillian Job (2011, David Twohy), Thor (2011, Chris Hemsworth). For more, please visit News & Gossip.

Further Reading: I advise you only to read this section if you have already seen the movie. Otherwise, you probably won't understand what I am talking about.

Begin rant.

A few points of contention. Although I love this movie, I think it did have a few downfalls. I'll briefly list them for you to compare with your own. For starters, the "rich girls" who relayed the message of the deaths and the lack of phone signal - what was up with that? There was no reason for them to be in the movie, this information could have been relayed better in a thousand different ways. Also, the end of the film with the quick run-down of the major clues we should have gotten - don't treat us that way, Twohy. This type of thing really kills a movie's replay value - there were a few things ("perfect for framing" for instance) that I wouldn't have picked up on until I got home, bought the DVD and rewatched the movie. Now, with the exception of stand-out bonus features and an excellent commentary track, I see little reason to buy this DVD until the price drops to under £5.

Finally, what was with the complete lack of intelligence towards the end of the movie? Olyphant and Sanchez's characters still acted with a degree of smarts (although, arguably, they should have been the only two characters to suffer from panic and the resultant drop in IQ that brings). The worst offenders here were Jovovich's character (for jumping off a rock), Zahn's character (in general) and Mr. "I'm An EMT, Get On The Ground." This is where the movie began to get clichéd and typically stupid. I'm wondering if this was left in from the first draft, while the rest of the movie received a brilliant re-write. Gone were the subtle little lines and nuanced delivery, in their place found the staple of a horror/thriller film's diet - clichéd lines with camp delivery. "You're not him" and all that jazz.

My take on the ending? Cut straight from Sanchez's kick to the jaw, cut out her line and get straight to Jovovich while the audience is in slight awe, have Milla deliver her part then fall off the chopper with guilt. That would have been an ending to remember, and then fluff it out with whatever romantic sap you want to finish things off.

But what do I know really? End rant.

Kudos for the little 'seatbelt' touch right at the end there. It was strange that the movie devolved into mulch for a little while, but it began on a high note and, thanks to the brief return of funny little details that would actually happen in real life, it ended on a relative high note also. A strong showing overall, just a pity about the slightly bitter aftertaste the final act leaves in the mouth. But, rant non-withstanding, this was an impressive movie in my eyes.