Critic Reviews
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Dennis Harvey, Variety
A big-reveal thriller with surprises that really do surprise -- and are worth waiting for through an audaciously long buildup.
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Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader
Writer-director David Twohy (Pitch Black) serves up mechanical thrills culminating in a bogus twist ending
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Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
A Perfect Getaway is a little better -- well, a little stranger -- than most of the disposables this summer.
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Nigel Floyd, Time Out
David Twohy's taut, palm-sweating thriller has two things going for it: it keeps you guessing and it doesn't insult your intelligence.
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Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
The aesthetic is closer to a grand finale of Survivor than anything else, and while all the actors do scrappy work, they don't have much psychology to play with -- unlike a fun, class-conscious wilderness tale like The Edge.
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Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
I just don't think there was enough drama in the first two-thirds of this movie.
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Jeff Beck, Examiner.com
The film is not a total loss due to its interesting use of suspense and its tactic of placing suspicion on every character. While it's not one of the best thrillers out there, you could easily do worse.
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Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
Far from a perfect film, but it is a lot of fun. In the tradition of old-fashioned thrillers, the movie has some nice twists and turns in the plot.
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Steve Newton, Georgia Straight
A riveting horror-thriller that should do for hiking in Hawaii what Hostel did for backpacking in Slovakia.
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Janos Gereben, Entertainment Insiders
Twohy's script dares and succeeds in peppering the dialogue with funny insider references to Hollywood scripts and actors.
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Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
Twohy lets his story's central guessing game play out with patient tautness.
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William Goss, Cinematical
A slight film, slight in its surprises and in its suspense, and yet not totally devoid of either.
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
A cunning, sideways-sneaking genre piece with both the fancy to surprise audiences and the adroit filmmaking to do so
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David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
It works because it's smart, knows it's smart, announces to us that it's smart - then backs off and lets the suspense and dark comedy mix.
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Edward Porter, Times [UK]
Twohy seems to think the eventual revelation is clever enough to be worth the price of admission by itself. It isn't. To give better value, he should have souped up the cartoonish violence of the final scenes.
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Philip French, Observer [UK]
[An] effective thriller.
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Derek Malcolm, This is London
There's a lot of blood and little logic but the actors scream nicely.
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Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
The set up is so good that it pains me to say that the last half hour falls apart. Once things are revealed, it becomes too silly.
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Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
I changed my mind about this movie three times.
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Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
A structurally solid B-movie, marked by smart casting and carefully modulated performances, that delivers high on the popcorn-munching entertainment scale.
Read all 23 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Somewhere early something clicked on this one and i saw the reveal very early but i kept second guessing as the movie went along. A very solid cast makes this a good movie.
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Run of the mill thriller with some good performances from the 4 main leads. The location is the real star of the movie but with a slow first half followed by a twist in the end which wasn?t much of a surprise. Steve Zhan is always a joy to watch and he doesn?t disappoint here and… More
Run of the mill thriller with some good performances from the 4 main leads. The location is the real star of the movie but with a slow first half followed by a twist in the end which wasn?t much of a surprise. Steve Zhan is always a joy to watch and he doesn?t disappoint here and milla jovorich looks good but that?s all she got to do here.
It?s a perfect Friday beer and curry night in, that?s pretty much it.
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A Perfect Gataway actually surprised. Considering the mediocre cast, the film turned out to be better than what I expected it to be. Despite the fact that it's nothing too special, A Perfect Gataway is a good film that is better than what most people think. There are better… More
A Perfect Gataway actually surprised. Considering the mediocre cast, the film turned out to be better than what I expected it to be. Despite the fact that it's nothing too special, A Perfect Gataway is a good film that is better than what most people think. There are better thrillers that you can see, but for what it is, A Perfect Gataway is a good film that considering a mediocre cast, turned out better than what I expected. The film is a bit predictable, but it does manage to be thrilling and exciting. Like I said, I didn't expect much from this film, and after seeing it, I thought it was better than average. The performances from the somewhat mediocre cast are surprisingly decent here, and though there's room for improvement in the acting department, the cast did do a good job in their respective parts. A Perfect Gataway is overall a decent film that despite its faults is fairly entertaining for what it is. Like I said, the cast do a good job despite their somewhat lacking skills. Overall A Perfect Gataway is a mindless, fun thriller if you can forgive the sometimes lacking plot and borderline decent performances, which aren't that bad actually. Overall this should be seen as a mindless thriller that though relies on clichés for its plot is still very much entertaining and thrilling. Not a perfect thriller, but it has enough thrills to make it worth seeing.
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Beautiful scenery. And Hawaii looks pretty nice, too. Ba-dum-dum.
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Never expect the ending. Great film!
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First half of this movie is pretty good. Very suspenseful and seems like it is on the edge of being a great thriller. Then the second half kind of falls flat. The story is good, I just didn't like the way they handled the unveiling of the killers and the ending. Had those 2… More
First half of this movie is pretty good. Very suspenseful and seems like it is on the edge of being a great thriller. Then the second half kind of falls flat. The story is good, I just didn't like the way they handled the unveiling of the killers and the ending. Had those 2 things been tweaked, this could have easily been a great movie. Steve Zahn and Timothy Olyphant are usually awesome, and here is no different. Both of them play to their strengths and give very solid performances. Just the direction of the story kind of wastes them. Overall, it's not terrible, just could have been better.
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The "red herring" concept is well dealt with in this one as well as the feeling of being trapped due to an island setting.
The film is of honeymooning newlyweds who run into an ex-military man who helps them safely make their way through a dangerous section of the mountain… More
The "red herring" concept is well dealt with in this one as well as the feeling of being trapped due to an island setting.
The film is of honeymooning newlyweds who run into an ex-military man who helps them safely make their way through a dangerous section of the mountain in which they are hiking. Clearly, his trust is earned here, or is it? Not far ahead they run into a group of girls whose parents are pleading with them to return home because of a murdered couple who were honeymooning on one of the other Hawaiian islands. As the tension is already in motion, the couple meet the girlfriend of the guy who helped them which ads yet another piece to the puzzle.
I think what works here is that the premise is kept somewhat simple allowing the actors to let you draw your own conclusions as to who the killers or killer may be.
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Timothy Olyphant claims to be "Difficult to kill," so A Perfect Getaway plays that out to its conclusion. Its a nightmarish honeymoon/hiking trip thriller set in a lush, remote Hawaian jungle. Writer-director David Twohy scores big with an excellent cast and great… More
Timothy Olyphant claims to be "Difficult to kill," so A Perfect Getaway plays that out to its conclusion. Its a nightmarish honeymoon/hiking trip thriller set in a lush, remote Hawaian jungle. Writer-director David Twohy scores big with an excellent cast and great performances. I like the choice of Steve Zahn as a the dorky type with a fascade. He's underrated, usually playing goofy roles while he's capable of much more. Olyphant is the tough guy with a tender underside. He's charismatic as always. Is he menacing like his "Live Free, Die Hard" character? or is there more to it? I won't give any more away.
I believe the plot hinges on a conversation between Cydney (Milla Jovovich) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez) about what is normal. Gina doesn't believe in perfect appearances; She's prophetic. This movie's not always easy to follow; I didn't get the direction at times, but that doesn't detract from the shock factor. Its an edge-of-your-seat thriller with a good cast and breathtaking locations- worth your time.
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It could have been a good 'mindless thriller', but unfortunately, it isn't. Not IMO, at least. The first half is pretty cool and builds up the plot quite well, but it begins to stumble towards the ending. The revelations offered in the climax assume the viewers to be… More
It could have been a good 'mindless thriller', but unfortunately, it isn't. Not IMO, at least. The first half is pretty cool and builds up the plot quite well, but it begins to stumble towards the ending. The revelations offered in the climax assume the viewers to be idiots. There is a limit to the application of suspension of disbelief.
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A pair of honeymooners go on a secluded Hawaiian adventure trail but when they hear of a series of murders nearby they begin to suspect their travelling companions. I like David Twohy. Although his films are never exactly ground breaking, they are always visually pleasing,… More
A pair of honeymooners go on a secluded Hawaiian adventure trail but when they hear of a series of murders nearby they begin to suspect their travelling companions. I like David Twohy. Although his films are never exactly ground breaking, they are always visually pleasing, entertaining and inventive and A Perfect Getaway is another example. Probably his most mainstream effort to date, the serial killer movie with the inevitable twist is a very familiar formula but he manages to create quite an entertaining ride during its 90 minute length. The watchable cast are all fine and it provides enough in the way of twists and turns to maintain the interest but like Shutter Island, the only real drawback is the strength of the twist. There just aren't enough "suspects" making the big revelation a bit too obvious. Still, it's an amusing little snack that may not be as good as Scorsese's effort but it's a sh*tload better than The Beach.
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A Perfect Getaway has a very Imperfect Ending, that ruins what was, up to that point a very fun thriller.
The setup is original and easy to follow (although the imprinting of such is sometimes clumsy and role your eyes ridiculous): A couple on their honeymoon decide to take the… More
A Perfect Getaway has a very Imperfect Ending, that ruins what was, up to that point a very fun thriller.
The setup is original and easy to follow (although the imprinting of such is sometimes clumsy and role your eyes ridiculous): A couple on their honeymoon decide to take the Kalaua Trail on Kauai. They meet another couple, obviously from the southern states, and along the way hear of a heinous murder of a couple that took place on Oahu that was committed by.... a couple.
There are several red herrings along the way (or red snappers, as Oliphant's charactor Nick calls em), as the first half percolates along, leaving you guessing if the murderers are among those walking the trail.
All very fine and good, along with the breathtaking scenery and fine turns by Oliphant and Zahn, but then, just as the big mystery is revealed, the film then turns into utterly predictable near slasher/terror crap; thus totally wasting the setup.
And even if you are into the aforementioned Slasher type stuff, here it is not done very well. The split screen chase scene, while an attempt at something different and artsy, totally took you out of any possible suspense. Plus the artsy black and white feel to the presentation of the backstory was unnecessary and should have been left on the cutting room floor - except then the film would have only been like 80 minutes long... which isn't a bad thing, but is simply not feature film length.
After the chase the cavalry shows up things get even worse. The implausability of some of the charactors' motivations in that climatic scene are simply juvinile - as if written by some junior high wanna be writer. Amazing that once again Hollywood took the easy way out and turned a very good concept into a paint by numbers bit of schlock.
Oh, and did I say Timothy Oliphant (yeah!) is terrific in this - as his girl friend tells him "you're just all man". My hero! (and if you're not anxiously awaiting season two of Justified, then you ain't breathin').
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Sometimes you are just surprised by a movie. A Perfect Getaway is a lot of fun and worth checking out, specially on a rainy Saturday. While the movie by no means "breaks new ground" for the genre, it is fun and effectively told.
The script and direction are courtesy of… More
Sometimes you are just surprised by a movie. A Perfect Getaway is a lot of fun and worth checking out, specially on a rainy Saturday. While the movie by no means "breaks new ground" for the genre, it is fun and effectively told.
The script and direction are courtesy of David Twohy, who you may know from Pitch Black and the Fugitive.
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What reads as a Paradise Lost (Turistas) type of film is a predictable overactded Thriller which is sort of watchable until toward the end.
These films always tend to be better without a star name and this is no exception, Milla Jovovich doesn't pull this off very well and is… More
What reads as a Paradise Lost (Turistas) type of film is a predictable overactded Thriller which is sort of watchable until toward the end.
These films always tend to be better without a star name and this is no exception, Milla Jovovich doesn't pull this off very well and is actually pretty annoying throughout.
On a plus side, the views of Hawaii are pretty amazing and I do like the backpacking element to these type of films.
If you're gonna watch it, catch it on tv.
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Cliff and Cydney are a young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii...they believe they have found paradise ,but paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins.!!!
lots of suspense and… More
Cliff and Cydney are a young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii...they believe they have found paradise ,but paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins.!!!
lots of suspense and twists a thriller that delivers guys ~!
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I really liked this movie. Definitely went a direction that I totally didn't expect....which is a good thing. I get tired sometimes of the same old plots. This movie was very entertaining and not predictable at all. Good job!
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I watched this on HBO the other night and I wasn't too impressed. The twist was all right, not too shocking, but right before the twist there was the longest ass flashback I think I've ever seen in a movie. It was so long, boring and completely unnecessary. I don't care… More
I watched this on HBO the other night and I wasn't too impressed. The twist was all right, not too shocking, but right before the twist there was the longest ass flashback I think I've ever seen in a movie. It was so long, boring and completely unnecessary. I don't care about what happened days earlier, I want to know what's happening right now. It was kind of at the climax of the movie too. Something kinda of extraordinary is about to happen then it cuts to a bland flashback....like really? The acting was pretty mediocre too and the script could've used some help especially at the end where the girl is talking to the guys in the helicopter. That was awful. The violence was pretty good though. Knife going through the hand, it was great. The one part where the husband gets shot in the head (though it only grazes his head), was so called for. Of course he lives, then he saves the day. So predictable. It would've been better if he had gotten shot and died, then it would've been unexpected and a little more interesting. Instead he lives and goes to fight off the bad guys to protect his wife. Yay. A really predictable movie with a bad script and bad acting. Don't watch it.
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It's either going to feel too gimmicky or a nice treat, I happened to really enjoy it. If anything else, this just re-enforces the idea that Timothy Olyphant is unstoppable and amazing. Surviving a shot to the head and patching it up himself was the ice breaker, just way too… More
It's either going to feel too gimmicky or a nice treat, I happened to really enjoy it. If anything else, this just re-enforces the idea that Timothy Olyphant is unstoppable and amazing. Surviving a shot to the head and patching it up himself was the ice breaker, just way too cool. I like that the movie doesn't follow a traditional good guy/bad guy scenario, it plays it like a fiddle. This looks and feels well made, it just might be too ambitious for some to enjoy.
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Well, I can never predict that a thriller movie could turn into a brilliant movie like this one... The writer of this movie writes a great screenplay about murder and the twist was unpredictable... Even that, there's still some point that this movie could be made a little more… More
Well, I can never predict that a thriller movie could turn into a brilliant movie like this one... The writer of this movie writes a great screenplay about murder and the twist was unpredictable... Even that, there's still some point that this movie could be made a little more better... But overall, I like this movie, especially the cast they have here : Timothy Olyphany, Steve Zahn, and Milla Jovovich...
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At first this seems to be a trashy comedy due to the odd characters and goofy dialogues, but then after the first hour it evolves into an above-average thriller, surprisingly good and smarter than most of the slasher films released in recent years.
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Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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