A Perfect Getaway
| A Perfect Getaway | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Twohy |
| Written by | David Twohy |
| Produced by | Ryan Kavanaugh Mark Canton Tucker Tooley Robbie Brenner |
| Starring | Timothy Olyphant Milla Jovovich Kiele Sanchez Steve Zahn Marley Shelton Chris Hemsworth |
| Cinematography | Mark Plummer |
| Edited by | Tracy Adams and Oliver Littlewood as co-editer |
| Music by | Boris Elkis |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Rogue Pictures |
Release date | August 7, 2009 |
Running time | Theatrical cut: 97 minutes Unrated cut: 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million[1] |
| Box office | $22,852,638[1] |
A Perfect Getaway is a 2009 American psychological thriller film written and directed by David Twohy, and stars Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth and Steve Zahn. The film was shot in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, and was released on August 7, 2009 in United States, and on August 12 in the United Kingdom. The film received mixed to positive critical reaction[2] and was a minor financial success.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (September 2010) |
A young mild-mannered American couple, Cliff (Zahn) and Cydney (Jovovich) are celebrating their honeymoon by hiking to a remote beach in Hawaii. The couple comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing a double murder in Honolulu of another newlywed couple on the island, with the victims having their teeth pulled out and their fingerprints gone, and they begin to question whether they should turn back.
Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with another couple, Nick (Olyphant), who claims to be an Iraq War veteran with a titanium plate in his head from a shrapnel wound, and his longtime Georgian girlfriend, Gina (Sanchez).
Cliff suspects that the couple of hitchhikers that he and Cydney had earlier turned down for a ride Cleo (Shelton) and Kale (Hemsworth) and run into on the trail might be dangerous. He checks their bags after discovering that his and Cydney's permits are gone. Then, he, Cydney, Nick and Gina leave together, but Cliff suspects that Kale and Cleo are following them.
The two couples stop to pitch tents, and Nick and Cliff go into the woods to hunt for food. Cydney and Gina discuss how people are willing to tell strangers personal details about themselves while on vacation. Cydney talks about her childhood in foster care and about a boy she dated named Rocky, who everybody believed was an upstanding gentleman, whom she later discovered to have killed a dog, which presumably led to their break-up with Cyndey never telling another soul about the incident until now.
Nick and Cliff split up to search for Kale and Cleo. Cliff runs into a guide he and Cydney had met before setting off on the hike, who gives him the permits they had left behind. He and Nick return to the campsite, with Nick bringing a goat he had killed. Gina proceeds to expertly gut and butcher the goat, saying she learned how by working in the meat department of a grocery store.
The following day, Kale and Cleo are arrested by the police. A container full of pulled teeth is found in their bag. Cliff, Cydney, Nick, and Gina head to the beach, where Nick and Cliff decide to go see a marine cave via kayaks.
As Gina idly looks through the photos on Cydney and Cliff's video camera, she is horrified to realize that they are not who they say they are. Gina sets off after Nick and Cliff with Cydney chasing after Gina.
Flashbacks then reveal that Cliff (whose real name is Rocky) and Cydney are a drug addicted sociopath couple who murdered the newlyweds in Honolulu. They kill people and take their identities in order to, as Rocky (the most psychotic and deluded) puts it, live a hundred different lives and achieve a kind of immortality. It is also revealed that "Cliff" planted the teeth in Kale and Cleo's bag to frame them.
In the cave, Rocky shoots Nick just as Gina arrives, having run along the cliffs. Rocky shoots at her, but misses. Cydney sneaks up on Gina and attacks her. Gina is stabbed in the leg but manages to push Cydney off the ledge into the water.
Gina fortuitously receives a call on her cell phone from a phone company representative. She begs him to call the police. She then spots Cydney below in the kayak just as Rocky pops up over the cliff ledge to grab her feet. Gina stabs him in the hand with Cydney's knife and flees.
While Rocky chases her and Cydney kayaks ashore to intercept the police, Nick, saved by the titanium plate in his head, wakes up. Gina, in turn, runs into a group of men searching for their stolen kayaks, who tell her she is safe now. Rocky tries to convince the men that Gina is whacked out on drugs, but they do not believe him, so he ends up killing all of them as Gina runs toward the beach. At this point, Nick arrives and fights with Rocky, eventually getting the upper hand. At that point, the police arrive by helicopter with a rifle aimed at Nick. They ask for confirmation from Cydney, accompanying them in the helicopter, that Nick is the killer, and she pauses. Gina pulls Nick away from Rocky just in time to save him from the police sharpshooter. Cydney then tells the police that Rocky is the killer. Rocky is shot dead as he reaches for his gun.
Later, a medical helicopter comes and takes Nick and Gina. Nick proposes to her on the helicopter and admits that he had bought the ring on eBay. She happily accepts and they agree: "No honeymoon."
Cast
- Steve Zahn as Cliff Anderson
- Timothy Olyphant as Nick
- Milla Jovovich as Cydney Karswell Anderson
- Kiele Sanchez as Gina
- Marley Shelton as Cleo
- Chris Hemsworth as Kale
Soundtrack
- Hey, Hey, Hey — Tracy Adams
- Paradise — RooHub
- Need Your Love — Aswad
- Boom Chic Boom Chic — Tracy Adams
- Red Dress Baby Doll — Tracy Adams
- Ghetto Chronic — Tracy Adams
- The Wretched — Nine Inch Nails
- I'm Yours — Jason Mraz
Reception
The film has achieved mixed to positive reviews from critics. Based on an average of 22 reviews, Metacritic gave the film 63 out of 100.[3] A Perfect Getaway also averages 61% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 123 reviews.
The New York Times referred to the film as a "genuinely satisfying cheap thrill".[4] More mixed reviews include the Times Online, which gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, adding that it is a "smart” thriller but is a "little too tricky for its own good".[5] Additionally, The Guardian only rated the film 60% saying that the film is a "flawed but entertaining thriller".[6]
The film grossed $5,948,555 in its opening weekend within America.[7] Worldwide, its grossing stands at $22,852,638. Its first week in the United Kingdom saw the film make £418,703 and reach number 10 at the UK box office.
Timothy Olyphant was the first runner-up for Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Release
The film was released in United States on 7 August 2009. The unrated director's cut DVD and Blu-Ray were released on 29 December 2009.[8]
References
- ^ a b "A Perfect Getaway". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "A Perfect Getaway (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Perfect Getaway, A". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Dargis, Manohla (2009-08-07). "A Perfect Getaway (2009)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ Young, Toby (2009-08-14). "The Perfect Getaway". Times Online. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2009-08-14). "A Perfect Getaway". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "A Perfect Getaway". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Uncle Creepy (2009-10-28). "A Perfect Getaway Coming Home". Dread Central.