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While “A Perfect Getaway” is far from groundbreaking
cinema, it does manage to keep the audience engaged all
throughout. It’s a thriller that plays true to itself by
being misleading, which is to say that not everything is
as it appears. Consider the first couple of shots; intercut
with home video footage of a wedding reception is home video
footage of happy newlyweds on their way to their honeymoon.
***
The reception displays the usual mishmash of people,
some quiet and complementary, some loud and obnoxious, while
the newlyweds display typical post-wedding bliss. There’s
a moment at the reception when the groom’s brother playfully
has the groom’s head in a headlock, obstructing the groom’s
face. As the newlyweds drive through dense tropical foliage,
the bride holds the camera while the groom describes one
of his brothers in a very unflattering light. ***
If it seems like I’m describing mundane shots that
have no bearing on the actual plot, you’ve got another thing
coming. But of that, I can say no more. The newlyweds are
Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich), and they’re
now on their Hawaiian honeymoon, eager to go hiking on an
island that can only be reached by boat or by helicopter.
They eventually team up with Nick and Gina (Timothy Olyphant
and Kiele Sanchez), who also enjoy roughing it in the wilderness.
***
What exactly are we supposed to make of these couples?
Cliff and Cydney seem fairly happy and healthy, if a little
unprepared for the outdoor life. Cliff is the least prepared
of all--he can’t even pitch a tent, let alone attempt something
like rock climbing. Cydney is kind and approachable, although
as time passes, there’s the sense that what she presents
as a perfect life is merely a façade. ***
On to Nick and Gina. Nick is a military trained survivalist
with a Southern drawl, and boy, does he have some stories
to tell. They’re the kind of stories he would like to see
in a screenplay, and lo and behold, he meets Cliff, a screenwriter
whose first script is now in the pre-production stages of
filming up in Canada. ***
Nick, it seems, it quite aware of the conventions certain
movies go by, not the least of which is the twist ending
in the second act. But this isn’t all he’s aware of, and
we know this not only through his dialogue, which is carefully
worded, but although through his actions, which are subtle
yet significant. He never shouts, and he never threatens,
but the man is intense and menacing, someone who should
be feared just on general principles. “He’s really difficult
to kill,” Gina observes. ***
And speaking of Gina, she’s calmer and a bit more trusting,
but she’s worked in the meat section of her hometown Piggly
Wiggly, and she knows how to slice open a carcass and disembowel
it. ***
Soon, the news begins to spread: A couple has been
murdered in Honolulu, and the police suspect both a man
and a woman as the culprits. Cliff and Cydney recall a hitchhiking
couple they encountered when they first arrived; the woman,
Cleo (Marley Shelton), seemed eager to share her wedding
photos, but the man, Kale (Chris Hemsworth), was angry and
wouldn’t accept the ride. He was especially angry with Cliff,
who not only lied but also had a very off-putting tone in
his voice. Kale, he later admits, is tired of people always
spitting in his face just for the way he looks. ***
Yes, it’s possible that they’re the killers the police
are looking for. But what about Nick and Gina? What about
Cliff and Cydney? What if it’s no one we’ve seen thus far?
After all, there seems to be someone following both couples
as they hike, and Nick, armed with a bow and arrow and a
hunting knife, wastes no time in trying to get to the bottom
of it. Appearances mean nothing in this movie, and we already
know that because the concept of the plot twist has already
been addressed by Nick. ***
Interestingly, that may be the reason why the film
loses some steam during the final twenty minutes. The twist,
in all honesty, isn’t all that surprising, and that’s because
we know that the nature of “A Perfect Getaway” is to misdirect.
I can’t elaborate on this, but rest assured, you’ll know
what I mean if you see this movie. ***
This isn’t to say, however, that the twist doesn’t
altogether work. What could easily have been a ridiculous
copout instead seems plausible. At the very least, it seems
plausible within the context of this story. Nevertheless,
the first section of “A Perfect Getaway” is stronger, not
just in the way that it builds tension, but also in the
way it explores character. The single best scene is of Cydney
revealing to Gina something she has kept hidden for many
years; Jovovich is given the emotional dialogue while Sanchez
is given the subtlety of expression, and they play off each
other very well. ***
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