David Twohy's A Perfect Getaway (2009)

A Perfect Getaway is a problematic film to review. Like the recently released The Book of Eli, it comes complete with a fairly ridiculous third-act twist; but I guess many twists are ridiculous these days. After all, how many twists can there be out there? Unfortunately there are also numerous problems with David Twohy‘s direction, which is, to put it bluntly, generally shoddy and haphazard. And finally there is Milla Jovovich, who while seeming pleasant enough, once again proves that she’s only worth casting if she is killing zombies or scaling futuristic skyscrapers. For whatever reason, Jovovich seems to have difficulty delivering a believable performance when cast as a normal woman. This problem rears its ugly head once again in A Perfect Getaway. Having said all that, I’m still recommending this film. Between the lush jungle setting, intriguing and suspenseful premise, and a charismatic and magnetic performance by one Timothy Olyphant, A Perfect Getaway still manages to deliver despite some questionable directorial decisions, one bad lead performance, and a rather lame twist.

The film begins with hand-held footage of the recent wedding of our protagonists, Cliff and Sydney, played by Steve Zahn and Miss Jovovich, respectively. Luckily, the footage lasts only through the credits before that tired trope is abandoned in favor of a largely-traditional filming style (more on that later). The newlyweds are honeymooning in Hawaii and it’s not long before they are headed off to a long hike through the Hawaiian jungle, complete with waterfalls, beaches, and all manner of magnificent scenery. Along the way they meet two other couples, a sketchy pair of free spirits who they come in to conflict with almost immediately, and a second pair, Nick and Gina, portrayed by Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez. This couple also intends to hike the trail and the four of them decide to stick together. It’s not long before they come across a group of hysterical young women who are claiming that vacationers have been murdered on a neighboring island. The rumor is that it was a pair of killers, a man and a woman. With the set up complete, both couples continue their descent into the jungle, unsure of who they can trust, or just how far they will make it.

Nick (Olyphant) has all sorts of crazy and unbelievable stories from his time as a Special Forces commando/Navy Seal/spook, and Olyphant has a ball with the character who “is really hard to kill.” When given the freedom to let loose, as he is here, the underrated Olyphant is capable of delivering an insanely charismatic performance, a performance in which you simply can’t take your eyes off him. Nick’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s incredibly ripped and when combined with his violent background and devilish grin, the audience will feel both drawn to him and threatened by him. The fact that he’s such a mysterious, dangerous, yet strangely endearing figure only adds to the performance. It’s safe to say that without Timothy Olyphant this film simply would not work. He is that good, and while it’s no award-winning performance, it is exactly what’s desired in a popcorn thriller such as this. I have been a fan of Olyphant’s since 1998’s Go, and it’s nice to see his profile rising as his career moves forward.

Steve Zahn also does a great job in the comparatively thankless role of our hero Cliff, the rather square screenwriter who hikes through the jungle complete with glasses, dorky ball cap, and camcorder. Also of note is Chris Hemsworth, seen previously in Star Trek and soon to hit the mainstream as the title character in Marvel Studios’ Thor. Hemsworth cuts an imposing figure as half of the aforementioned sketchy couple and his presence looms over the proceedings like a dark storm cloud.

So the setting is highly appealing, the premise intriguing, and Timothy Olyphant’s screen presence alone makes up for Milla Jovovich’s subpar acting. What about the direction? The glue that holds everything together? Unfortunately, this marks the film’s weak point as David Twohy makes several questionable artistic decisions which end up detracting from the film. During the film’s third act there are several instances when the screen inexplicably switches to a split screen view, sometimes with up to 3 or 4 screens. This occurs when lots of action is taking place and the effect is disorienting, jarring, and confusing. It can be really tough to tell just who is doing what and I can’t help but think that Twohy would have been better off just leaving it alone. This unfortunate tendency to rely on gimmicks pops up again a cringe-worthy and awkward chunk of exposition. Planted firmly in the middle of the third act, he decided that the audience needed a nearly ten minute long blue-tinted flashback. Not only is the blue saturation deeply distracting, but the awkwardly placed exposition is meant to be a shocking moment, when instead it just conveys Twohy's lack of confidence in his own script. And then of course, there is the twist. I’m sure many people will see it coming from a mile away, yet I did not (I have never been too good at guessing twists). To say anymore would be to give away a pretty decent surprise, but it’s only really decent in the moment. Once the movie ends, you will find yourself second-guessing the logic behind it and that’s never a good sign.

A Perfect Getaway is in no way a perfect movie, yet it somehow remains engaging and exciting. Much of this can be attributed to the sheer overwhelming charisma of Timothy Olyphant, who at times seems to hoist the entire film on his back as he treks through the Hawaiian jungle. Sure some of the director‘s decisions were questionable and the ending is a bit bizarre, but honestly, you probably won’t care too much. As far as thrillers go, this one is entertaining and above average. 3.5 out of 5 stars.