Return to Paradise (1998 film)
| Return to Paradise | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Joseph Ruben |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mark Mancina |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Editing by | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 10, 1998 (premiere) August 14, 1998 (United States) |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Return to Paradise is a 1998 film directed by Joseph Ruben, written by Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson and starring Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn. Return to Paradise is a remake of a French film released in 1989, Force majeure. Return to Paradise was released a year before Brokedown Palace, which has a similar storyline of drugs in South East Asia.
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[edit] Plot
Return to Paradise begins with a silent montage of a fun holiday in a Malaysian paradise showing the three main male characters in the movie having a great time. The opening scenes of the movie remain in Malaysia with a series of pulsating events providing the men with a myriad of hardships, including a scene when the young men are almost run over by a car while riding a bicycle and another when they are pressured into buying some tonic drink from Malaysian locals. Eventually, the three men, Lewis McBride (Joaquin Phoenix), Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) wind up at their beach front house on the ocean pondering their future in the island paradise.
Tony and Sheriff decide to return to New York, while Lewis, being a "greeny", wishes to travel to Borneo to save endangered orangutans. Back in New York, Sheriff is working as a limo driver and Tony as an architect. A lawyer named Beth ([[Anne Heche]) informs them that their friend Lewis has served the last two years in Penang prison in Malaysia, because of the hash found at their Malaysian house. She reveals that he will receive the death sentence unless one or both of the men return to share responsibility. Beth assures both of the men that they will not suffer in the prison, be tortured nor harmed in any way. After a grueling eight days, during which they must make a decision, and a heated love affair between Beth and Sheriff, both men decide to return to Malaysia. Upon their arrival, all seems well until they visit the prison to see Lewis.
Lewis appears to have suffered psychological damage from the harsh imprisonment, although it is reported that he has not been tortured or starved as is the case with other prisoners. Beth subsequently reveals that she is Lewis' sister. Her lie makes Tony fearful of the Malaysian justice system and he abandons Lewis and flies back to the US. Sheriff follows Tony, but decides to face jail to save his friend and returns to the courtroom in which Lewis is being tried. The judge seems heartened by this act of courage and bravery, until he discovers a news clipping from an American newspaper blaming the Malaysian justice system and condemning them for their harsh sentencing of Lewis. Because of this, the judge becomes infuriated and gives Lewis a death sentence, despite Sheriff's decision to accept his share of the responsibility.
He also gives Sheriff an unknown period of jail time. As a noose is tied around Lewis' neck for his execution, Sheriff attempts to comfort him. Lewis is then dropped from the platform and killed. Sheriff later assures Beth that Lewis, who had emotionally deteriorated as though a fearful animal, at the last moment seemed to die at peace. Beth becomes emotional and kisses Sheriff as a sign of their love and connection. She tells him that the attorney general has said that Malaysian government will release him within six months to save face. As the guard takes Sheriff out, she tells him, she will wait in Malaysia until he is released.
[edit] Cast
- Vince Vaughn - John 'Sheriff' Volgecherev
- Anne Heche - Beth Eastern
- Joaquin Phoenix - Lewis McBride
- David Conrad - Tony Croft
- Vera Farmiga - Kerrie
- Nick Sandow - Ravitch
- Jada Pinkett Smith - M.J. Major
[edit] Reception
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This section requires expansion. |
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 70% "fresh" rating based on 44 reviews.
[edit] External links
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