 DVD Review: A Perfect Getaway
By Tamsin Cracknell
Written and directed: David Twohy (Pitch Black)
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez
Six sexy strangers... two of whom are psychopaths... trapped on an exquisite island with terrible cellphone reception and very little clothing... What more could you want from a Hollywood thriller?
Seriously though, this movie is not at all as terrible as the cover makes it out to be. Leave it to the man who convinced Vin Diesel to wear goggles to turn a potentially lame “whodunnit?” plot into a thing of visual appeal and original suspense.
Well-to-do honeymooners Cliff (Zahn) and Cydney (Jovovich) touch down on a remote Hawaiian island, just as news of a gruesome double murder starts to spread. Almost immediately, they encounter filthy hitchhikers Kale and Cleo, who are ominously offended at the other couple's reluctance to give them a lift. The newlyweds are relieved to run into ex-special forces soldier Nick (Olyphant) and his southern girlfriend Gina (Sanchez), as (gasp!) the hikers appear to be following them, but as they get to know their quirky new friends, it starts to look like they might have been better off on their own...
Of course, to end it there would be far too easy. In fact, even the most observant and experienced serial-killer-thriller watcher will change his mind at least three times before the cuckoo couple is revealed – upon which, the audience is invited to sit back and watch the blood spatter as our characters are hunted down, stabbed and shot all over their Hawaiian paradise.
It's a perfect summer movie – sun, sea and the smell of murder in the air. The film was shot on location in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, and Twohy takes full advantage of the breathtaking scenery (as well as the redundance of clothing), giving us freezing Southerners a welcome reminder of what it feels like to be warm. Ladies, watch out for a sizzling performance from Olyphant, and gentlemen – you won't be disappointed!
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