Review of A Perfect Getaway (2009) by Patrick E — 08 Jul 2010
Director David Twohy has managed to create an incredibly frustrating film in that 90% of it works perfectly but the other 10% is far too clever for its own good and just doesn't wash with what came before it. That 10% is a twist that many of you will figure out after the opening ten seconds. Obviously whether or not you are one of these people will largely dictate how much you enjoy the film. It took me a little longer to figure out the twist purely because everything that came before it made almost zero sense if you already knew the twist. Too many red herrings!
The plot opens with a wedding video montage showing Mila Jovovich and Steve Zahn talking about their happy day. We then cut to a Hawaiian Island where the couple are on honeymoon. After meeting up with another tourist played by Timothy Olyphant, they learn that there is a murderous couple on the island that like to slaughter newlyweds. However they still decide to team up with Olyphant and his girlfriend, and eventually they begin to suspect them as the killers. I must admit that the first hour or so is very well done. As Olyphant tells us about his military background and the crazy things he has done, a suitable amount of tension is built up. Sadly though as soon as Olyphant starts to give us his thoughts on film screenwriting (which is supposed to be some kind of IN joke) it's blatantly obvious what the twist is going to be despite it not making sense.
You have to give credit for Twohy for trying to so something original but the writing just is not good enough. Most people will figure out the twist and the rest will tear their hair out when it comes not because of it's implausibility but because it just doesn't make sense with what we were shown before it. To rectify this problem Twohy decides to give us a far too long flashback explaining the events surrounding the twist. From this point on it's typical Hollywood stalker fair but manages to entertain. In fact the entire film is entertaining, it looks beautiful, it's well acted, it's quite fast paced and is the perfect length but the twist is what will really divide people on the films overall quality.
A Perfect Getaway is an entertaining film with a rather silly twist but has enough good things to make it worth a watch.
This review of A Perfect Getaway (2009) was written by Patrick E on 08 Jul 2010.
A Perfect Getaway has generally received positive reviews.
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