Thrillers are a dime a dozen nowadays, and as they continue to be churned out it’s become harder and harder to include twists that wow audiences. A Perfect Getaway is just such a thriller, the added surprise though is that it doesn’t take things seriously. With beautiful locales and a mystery about a group of couples, one set being murderers, is engaging even if you solve it ahead of time. The DVD though is pretty bland with a supposed director’s cut that’s anything but, and no added features to speak of.
Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are on their honeymoon in Hawaii. Hiking a secluded trail to a beach they learn that a couple has been brutally murdered, the suspects are a man and a woman. Coincidentally they meet two different couples that could be the rumored murderers. The premise isn’t unique or that intriguing but the journey is what makes everything worthwhile. If you figure out which set are the killers, it’s just fun watching everyone be on edge suspecting each other. Hawaii is an interesting locale for said events as it’s hard to see it being particularly secluded. That’s all explained with the group hiking a rough trail leading to a beautiful beach. The locations are gorgeous and this is a perfect film to watch on a Hi-Def television or on Blu-Ray. The beaches and jungle areas are lush and majestic and you’ll experience the full beauty with the best hardware (one of the few times I wish I wasn’t still stuck in the DVD age). The group of actors assembled all turn in fine performances in rather stock roles. Jovovich and Zahn take the biggest challenges playing out of type as a doe-eyed bride and a nebbish screenwriter respectively. The ending scenes will make you think of them in different lights. Timothy Olyphant continues to show he’s a dark horse as the grandiose Nick, while Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton have memorable roles as a free-spirited couple with a dark past. The weakest link has to be Kiele Sanchez as Gina with a Southern accent picked up from the Britney Spears School of Enunciation.
The DVD and Blu-Ray both tout the over-used “Unrated Director’s Cut.” Said cut is supposedly ten minutes longer but I honestly didn’t notice anything that warrented ten additional minutes. There did seem to be a bit more nudity, mainly a few bare backsides but I couldn’t tell if they weren’t already there in the theatrical cut. A few lines were added and the flashback at the end was a bit gorier but again nothing that seemed to add up to ten minutes. Other than that there are NO additional features aside from some opening trailers for Nine, Smokin’ Aces 2, Taking Woodstock and the new American Pie film, none of which are worth the price of a DVD.
As great as A Perfect Getaway is, this is a rental at best. If you can, rent the film on Blu-Ray or watch on a High Definition television as the beauty of the landscape is just breathtaking. Other than that the director’s cut is lackluster and the trailers are not a special feature movie studios! Unless you can see yourself watching this all the time, I can’t say it’s a must-buy.
Entertainment News International (ENI) is the popular culture network for fans all around the world. Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!
