A Perfect Getaway

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and his trophy wife Cydney (Milla Jovovich) go on their honeymoon together in Hawaii (although shot in my island of Puerto Rico). There they find out about the murder of a recently newly-wed couple by another couple. And so, they suspect every couple they see, even the couple they befriend, super soldier Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). Suspicions between them arise. Will they be the next victims to be murdered in Hawaii, or is there something darker, more sinister at work? Here’s a movie I had zero aspirations for. Hell I barely knew anything about it, except that it was a thriller. My main reason to go watch it is that it stars Milla Jovovich, who’s one of my favorite actress and would literally watch anything, no matter how bad (like the two horrible Resident Evil sequels). But to my surprise, this is a very well-made psychological thriller featuring a helluva great cast. Jovovich is great as always, showing a very girly, vulnerable spot until revealing her more familiar ‘tough girl’ side in the third act of the film. I’m also a huge fan of Timothy Olyphant, been so since seeing him in Live Free Or Die Hard, and here he doesn’t disappoint, playing the typical badass hero he is. And then there’s Steve Zahn, who always plays a goofy comedic relief, but here he’s pretty damn good, especially in the third act. I talk a lot about the third act of this movie and with good reason, since it’s one of the coolest and most well-done ‘twists’ in a long time. I won’t say anything, but it will grab you by the balls.
Props have to go to David Twohy. He’s a very underrated director who’s made some very good and interesting science fiction films (The Arrival, Pitch Black, Chronicles Of Riddick). He turned something that could have been very routine in the hands of another filmmaker and turned into a very Hitchcockian thrill-ride with lots of style, grace, and violence. So give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed.