Review of A Perfect World (1993) by Al P — 28 Apr 2010

Buddy film, road film, suspense thriller, and maybe even adventure - 'A Perfect World' is Clint Eastwood's transcending of sub-genre, and I personally don't feel there are enough stars to I can give to rate this what it truly deserves.

Phillip, a young boy of Jehovah's Witness upbringing, is kidnapped by an escape-convict named "Butch" Haynes, in genuinely Kevin Costner's finest 2+ hours. Persistent on driving only Ford cars, Butch steals his way through the vast 1960's landscape of the Texas midlands, destined to reach Alaska - in a dream designed by his long-lost father's postcards.

Adventure unfolds, as the two develop an odd friendship. On their tails is Chief "Red" Barnett (Clint Eastwood), a long-time, well-regarded Texas Ranger, and his group of law enforcing hard-dicks, hard-heads, and one smart criminal psychologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern).

Some may find it strange that the little boy comes off somewhat fearless and unaffected by the kidnapping, and somewhat unflinched by the presence of guns and knives - yet, one must keep in mind that this is actually convincing through a religiously sheltering household.

Butch introduces him to his first taste of Halloween (Phillip steals a Casper ghost costume and wears it through most of the film), which is also his first taste of any holiday whatsoever. In return, Butch finds in Phillip perhaps the only person who doesn't look at him as some criminal monster, as well as a natural bond.

Phillip also resembles the child he never could have, and the closest thing to the "American Dream" he may ever grasp. The road film typically explores how the road is the only means of true, unharmed freedom.

The road is absolutely Butch and Phillip's only means of freedom - Butch's freedom from law and his past; Phillip's freedom from a strict household. Meanwhile, a subplot exists within Red and his flock of law enforcers - the exposure and realization of local law and its faultiness from politics, realized corruption, and seniority persuasion.

Red initially pulled some strings to have Butch put away at maximum sentence for a seemingly harmless "joy ride" at a young age to keep him away from his apparently violent father. Guilt ensues in Red as he realizes that it was prison which taught an innocent boy to become a criminally-prone man, which again alludes to a tighter on-screen bond between Phillip and Butch due to their shattered childhoods.

Behind the camera, Clint Eastwood films Texas like something straight out of a Terrence Malick creation with natural sunlight, bringing fields of tall-bladed grass to life. His sense of pacing is captivating in every film, especially this gem; and John Lee Hancock's script is abundant in entertaining Texas tongue and dialogue which cleverly unfolds each character.

The acting is pitch-perfect with every single individual - also notable is Laura Dern's Southern Belle of a Texas gal trying to make her voice be heard within an occupation especially masculine for the 1960's.

It seems 'A Perfect World' has become something like a forgotten American film, which is sincerely unfortunate, being it should be recognized as one of the finest bodies of American cinema ever created.