A Perfect Getaway - Film Review

Thriller Set in Hawaii with Killers Hunting Tourists

Sep 3, 2009 Kevin Sturton

Director David Twohy plays with audience perceptions and provides plenty of thrills in A Perfect Getaway. Milla Jovovich, Steve Zhan and Timothy Olyphant star.

Honeymooning couple Cliff (Steve Zhan) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) head to Hawaii for an adventure trail. They stop to pick up a couple of hitchhikers, Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton), only for the encounter to turn sour.

Kale senses they are uncomfortable letting them in their jeep because of how they look. Fair enough you might think, given Kale and Cleo look rough; he’s big and scary and seems to have borrowed his facial hair from Brad Pitt in Kalifornia and she immediately shows them intimate photos of herself. Bit crazy, Cliff and Cydney think, so they are relieved when Kale pulls Cleo out of the car.

Three Couples in A Perfect Getaway

On the trail Cliff and Cydney meet another couple, Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). Nick is an alpha-male former marine who starts telling stories about how his time in Iraq left him with a metal plate in his head. Word gets through to Cliff about a couple on a murder spree in Hawaii and he gets very nervous when Kale and Cleo turn up on the same trail.

David Twohy’s Screenplay for A Perfect Getaway

Cliff’s profession as a screenwriter allows Twohy to comment on the screenplay writing process. A Perfect Getaway is self-referential, with Nicko pointing out early on that a character is usually brought in early to wrong-foot the audience. There are other moments when Twohy lets us know that he knows we’ve seen these kinds of films before. This is how they work his screenplay says, although Twohy is too efficient a genre director to let these get in the way of the thrills.

Fine Performances from the Stars of A Perfect Getaway

Believability is helped by the actors giving committed and interesting performances. Zhan and Jovovich are both outstanding, especially towards the end of the film when Twohy puts his foot down and accelerates the action for the finale. Olyphant channels the menacing charm he used to great effect in Go (Doug Liman1999) and The Girl Next Door (Luke Greenfield 2004).

Sanchez proves herself a tough cookie, while Shelton’s Cleo has a child-like quality. Hemsworth makes Kale intimidating, but also hints at his hurt feelings when he realises these well-to-do types think they’re better than him and his little Cleo.

A Perfect Getaway is Perfect for a Night Out

David Twohy’s writing and directing delivers enough twists and turns to hold the attention. Part of the fun of A Perfect Getaway is in guessing who the killers are and Twohy provides enough clues and red herrings to have you doubting your choice right up until the needless lengthy flashback explains it all. Twohy took a serious wrong-turn a few years back with the awful Chronicles of Riddick (2005), his sequel to Pitch Black (2000), but A Perfect Getaway is a considerable return to form.

A Perfect Getaway
Starring Milla Jovovich, Steve Zhan, Timothy Olyphant
Written by David Twohy
Directed by David Twohy
Year of Release 2009
Running time 97 mins

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