A Perfect Getaway
Encyclopedia
A Perfect Getaway is a 2009 American psychological
thriller film written and directed by David Twohy
, and stars Timothy Olyphant
, Milla Jovovich
, Kiele Sanchez
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 and was a minor financial success.
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 fingertips 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 kayak
s.
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.
Flashback
s then reveal that Cliff (who turns out to be 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 when one of them, who happens to be an EMT, notices his enlarged pupils, 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."
gave the film 63 out of 100. 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". 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".
Additionally, The Guardian
only rated the film 60% saying that the film is a "flawed but entertaining thriller".
The film grossed $5,948,555 in its opening weekend within America. 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
.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
thriller film written and directed by David Twohy
David Twohy
David Neil Twohy is an American film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Twohy was born in Los Angeles County, California...
, and stars Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
, Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, Kiele Sanchez
Kiele Sanchez
Kiele Michelle Sanchez is an American actress who stars in the A&E Network drama The Glades. Previously she starred as the second-eldest Sorelli sister, Anne, a therapist in her mid-twenties, in The WB's comedic ensemble drama, Related. She was cast as a co-star in the third season of the ABC...
and Steve Zahn
Steve Zahn
-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
. The film was shot in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, 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 and was a minor financial success.
Plot
A young mild-mannered American couple, Cliff (Zahn) and Cydney (Jovovich) are celebrating their honeymoonHoneymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
by hiking to a remote beach in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. 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
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
pulled out and their fingertips 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
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
plate in his head from a shrapnel wound, and his longtime Georgian
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
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
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
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
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
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 kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s.
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.
Flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s then reveal that Cliff (who turns out to be Rocky) and Cydney are a drug addicted sociopath couple who murdered
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
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
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. 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
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
. 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 when one of them, who happens to be an EMT, notices his enlarged pupils, 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
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. She happily accepts and they agree: "No honeymoon."
Cast
- Steve ZahnSteve Zahn-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
as Cliff - Timothy OlyphantTimothy OlyphantTimothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
as Nick - Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
as Cydney - Kiele SanchezKiele SanchezKiele Michelle Sanchez is an American actress who stars in the A&E Network drama The Glades. Previously she starred as the second-eldest Sorelli sister, Anne, a therapist in her mid-twenties, in The WB's comedic ensemble drama, Related. She was cast as a co-star in the third season of the ABC...
as Gina - Marley SheltonMarley SheltonMarley Eve Shelton is an American film and television actress.Shelton began her acting career in her late teens, and appeared in several 1990s' television movies and shows. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed drama Grand Canyon , and was cast in the films The Sandlot , Nixon , and...
as Cleo - Chris HemsworthChris HemsworthChris Hemsworth is an Australian actor most notable for portraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
as Kale - Anthony RuivivarAnthony RuivivarAnthony Michael Ruivivar is an American actor known for his portrayal of FDNY paramedic Carlos Nieto in the TV series Third Watch, and other law-enforcement roles in different TV series.-Background:...
as Chronic - Dale DickeyDale DickeyDale Dickey is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Patty on My Name is Earl and for her supporting roles in films such as Domino and Winter's Bone....
as Earth Momma - Peter "Navy" Tuiasosopo as Supply Guy
- Wendy BraunWendy BraunWendy Allison Braun is an American film and television actress.Braun was born in Northbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. She began acting at age 12, where she performed in many school plays. She graduated early from Indiana University to pursue an acting career in Hollywood...
as Debbie Mason
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 NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
- I'm YoursI'm Yours (Jason Mraz song)"I'm Yours" is the first single released by Jason Mraz from his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song was originally released on a limited edition EP called Extra Credit as a demo in 2005 to promote his second studio album Mr. A–Z. It was performed in his 2004 and 2005...
— Jason MrazJason MrazJason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
Reception
The film has achieved mixed to positive reviews from critics. Based on an average of 22 reviews, MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film 63 out of 100. A Perfect Getaway also averages 61% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 123 reviews.
The New York Times referred to the film as a "genuinely satisfying cheap thrill". More mixed reviews include the Times Online
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 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".
Additionally, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
only rated the film 60% saying that the film is a "flawed but entertaining thriller".
The film grossed $5,948,555 in its opening weekend within America. 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
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the annual awards given by the Toronto Film Critics Association.-2000s:-2010s:...
.