A Perfect Getaway

Film

Critics' choice

First published on 30 Nov 2009. Updated on 30 Nov 2009.

With no A-list stars and a modest budget, David Twohy’s taut, palmsweating thriller has two things going for it: it keeps you guessing and it doesn’t insult your intelligence. Set on the Hawaiian island of Kaui, where a 14.5km trail winds through the jungle to an idyllic beach, it’s kickstarted by the news that a couple has killed some honeymooners.

We’re then introduced to nerdy, newlywed screenwriter Cliff (Zahn) and his wide-eyed wife Cydney (Jovovich), who upset tattooed hitchhiker Kale (Hemsworth) and his cowed wife Cleo (Shelton) when they refuse them a lift.

Also on the trail are yarnspinning ex-soldier Nick (Olyphant) and his chatty Southern girlfriend Gina (Sanchez), an outdoors gal capable of skinning a hunted goat. But can Cliff and Cydney trust them any more than the aggressive hitchhikers? And will they make it out alive? As suspicion falls on each couple in turn, Twohy (Pitch Black) sustains the tension by constantly undermining our sense of certainty.

By Nigel Floyd