Entertainment, Movies - Army Times

‘A Perfect Getaway’ from overhyped blockbusters

Amid the brain-rattling cacophony of high-profile blockbusters that assault our senses each summer, a few stealth films carrying low expectations slip in the octoplex side door when no one is looking.

Usually, such films fully justify those low expectations. But once in a while, one manages to rise above.

Case in point: “A Perfect Getaway.” On its surface, it seems like a bland retread of a hundred other B-movie thrillers. But there’s a good reason for that — the meat of the story has to be kept under wraps or some juicy plot twists go out the window.

Writer-director David Twohy, whose eclectic résumé spans “The Chronicles of Riddick” flicks as well as “Waterworld,” “G.I. Jane” and “The Fugitive,” has crafted a tightly focused and intricately woven psychodrama that plays its cards close to the vest while slowly sucking you in and never letting go.

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are nice, normal, blissful newlyweds on their honeymoon in Hawaii, during which they plan to get off the tourist track and into the back country of the smaller islands, where the only ways in and out are by foot, kayak or helicopter.

Their trek starts on an uneasy note when Cliff impulsively stops to pick up two hitchhikers on the way to the trailhead: Kale (Chris Hemsworth), a gruff, shirtless bad boy with a tattoo on one pec that reads “Do Not Revive,” and Cleo (Marley Shelton), his twitchy girlfriend.

The vibe feels wrong to Cliff and Cydney, and they none-too-graciously rescind their offer of a ride, earning them some growly, menacing rejoinders from Kale as they drive away.

Not long after they start hiking, they come upon some backpackers who are all wound up about recent reports of brutal murders in the islands, which makes them think about turning back.

But then they run into Nicko (Timothy Olyphant), a friendly, talkative, outdoorsy he-man type, and his laid-back, Southern-fried gal pal Gina (Kiele Sanchez).

Nicko spins fanciful tales about his days as a deep-cover black ops warrior spearheading the Iraq invasion with his “wolfpack” until a roadside bomb caved in the back of his skull, which was rebuilt with a titanium plate that sets off metal detectors at airports — but it’s all good because the plate serves as diversionary cover for the combat knife he likes to keep strapped to his calf when he travels.

With Nicko for company, Cliff and Cydney feel a little better about pushing onward into the back country. But as they keep up with the evolving details of the murders on their CrackBerries, they can’t help wondering if Kale and Cleo could be the killers — and worrying that the two could easily be on their trail.

Things get stickier when Nicko starts dropping cryptic comments that lead Cliff to wonder if he’s the psychopath.

Well, somebody in this flick is a psychopath, or it wouldn’t be a thriller. But revealing any more would ruin the fun. Just one heads-up: About a third of the way in, before the adrenaline gets to pumping, one character spins an eerie personal story that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with anything.

But pay attention — it actually has quite a bit to do with what’s to come. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Despite his film’s title, Twohy is not shooting for perfection here. He has more realistic aims: to tweak the standard conventions of B-movie thrillers with equal shots of grunge, dark humor, awesome scenery and hairpin twists, all of it played out by a highly appealing cast.

He flashes a confident hand, slowly amping up the creepiness and doling out clues in dribs and drabs until finally lighting the fuse on a raw, violent climax.

Coming amid the humid doldrums of August, “A Perfect Getaway” is cool enough to be the sleeper hit of the late-summer movie season.

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Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity. Got a rant or rave about the movies? E-mail cvinch@atpco.com.