Editor’s Note: This review does contain spoilers.
A Perfect Getaway is director David Twohy’s generic and yet mildly entertaining return to the horror/thriller genre. Nothing particularly new is to be found here and it is the run-of-the-mill adventure. It does contain some unintentional laughs and some contrived story elements, but fortunately the film does contain enough redeeming factors to make it somewhat entertaining.
Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are newly weds who are on their honeymoon by taking a trip to one of the most beautiful and most remoter areas in Hawaii. At first, every part of their trips seems to be going so well, until they meet a pair of disturbing hikers. They soon find out about a recent murder of another newlywed couple that took place on the island. After questioning whether they should go back home, they decide to team up with another couple named Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). After they all join together, they soon start to question who may the killer.
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The story sounds simplistic and predictable, and it is. Nothing ever surprising happens and the twist about the killers comes when expected. At first the focus is completely centered around Cliff and Cydney who we first meet in Hawaii. Then the cliche untrustworthy looking hitch hikers show up who are only present to be a distraction from the twist. Its a fairly contrived set up like most of the film. The second act revolves around the more engaging aspect of Nick and Gina, who are much more involving characters. It’s hinted that they may be the villians, but these clues are along the lines of wink-wink where the audience knows there’s no possible way that they could be the killers. It turns out that Cliff and Cydney are the killers and after that the film becomes a giant chase scene on the island. When this predictable twist is shown the pandering exposition comes in by showing their antics through flashbacks. It’s a laughable sequence, but it sets up the most fun part of the film. The last twenty minutes or so revolve around Nick and Gina fighting for their lives, these suspenseful moments are filled with funny slow motion and cheesy one liners.
Most thrillers lack in the acting department and that is one flaw that isn’t completely present here. Zahn and Jovovich are likable and believable characters. Their character arcs are developed through a predictable manor, but their performances work. Only until the third act do they lose believability, with their dark turn feeling not feeling genuine. The real bright spot is Timothy Olyphant, who delivers a much more memorable performance. Olyphant has shown this likable creepiness before and that fits the role perfectly. He’s playing a character that is capable of being dangerous. He’s a soldier, so his character’s triumph in the end is believable. He’s someone that the audience will cheer for when he succeeds as he spouts hilarious one liners. Kiele Sanchez also delivers an adequate performance. Instead of coming off as the idiot character whose actions seem irrational, she is a strong character that does what any sane person would do in her situation.
Director David Twohy is someone capable of building suspense and fear. This fact was proven with Below and Pitch Black. It is a shame this factor is nowhere to be found. Twohy uses plenty of cheap jump scares, such as a branch following behind Jovovich during a moment of silence. The suspense and cliched scares aren’t effective. On the upside, he also uses many elements that do earn some laughs. He pokes fun at horror story elements with Olyphant bringing up how a twist would appear during the second act. These moments are similar to Scream and they earn as many laughs. With a more refined script, Twohy could have had a much better film on his hands.
While there are many flaws present here, overall it is an enjoyable quick paced thriller. This is a disappointment considering David Twohy is capable of making much better films. This is certainly more enjoyable then The Chronicles of Riddick, but it is also not as fun as a few of his other films. With a few good performances and a handful of memorable moments, A Perfect Getaway is a passable thriller.