A Perfect World (1993)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer (WGA):

John Lee Hancock (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor: an escaped convict on the run from the law, headed by an honorable U.S. Marshal.

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Prison | Halloween | Criminologist | Kidnapping

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Robert 'Butch' Haynes
Clint Eastwood	...	Chief Red Garnett
Laura Dern	...	Sally Gerber
T.J. Lowther	...	Phillip 'Buzz' Perry
Keith Szarabajka	...	Terry Pugh
Leo Burmester	...	Tom Adler
Paul Hewitt	...	Dick Suttle
Bradley Whitford	...	Bobby Lee
Ray McKinnon	...	Bradley
Jennifer Griffin	...	Gladys Perry
Leslie Flowers	...	Naomi Perry
Belinda Flowers	...	Ruth Perry
Darryl Cox	...	Mr. Hughes
Jay Whiteaker	...	Superman
Taylor Suzanna McBride	...	Tinkerbell

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language. (on appeal)

Runtime:

138 min | Germany:125 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | South Korea:12 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-18 | USA:R (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This was Clint Eastwood's first film since Paint Your Wagon (1969) for which he did not receive top billing, which went instead to Kevin Costner.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a scene where the police are getting some candy together, some of the candy is in boxes from the 1990s, a design that did not appear until almost 30 years after the time in which the movie is set.

Quotes:

Sally Gerber: The idea is that an understanding of the particular behavioral case histories should, in parole situations, help the subject to avoid habitual traps and, in penal escape situations could, conversely, identify those self-same traps as an aid to apprehension.
Chief Red Garnett: In the first place, Miss Gerber.
Sally Gerber: Sally, please.
Chief Red Garnett: In the first place, Sally, it ain't a 'penal escape situation.' It's a manhunt. Fancy words in a circle don't help much.
Sally Gerber: And what does?
Chief Red Garnett: A nose like a Blue Tick, a medulla with an antenna and a helluva lot of coffee.

Movie Connections:

References Bull Durham (1988)

Soundtrack:

Night Life

Waltz Across Texas

An intelligent and resourceful prison escapee named Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) takes an eight-year-old boy (T.J. Lowther) hostage, as Haynes roams across Texas in the early 1960s. Meanwhile, the authorities, headed by a Texas Ranger (Clint Eastwood), set out to capture Haynes, in an Airstream trailer.

Costner does a fine job as Haynes, an interesting character who happens to like waltz music. Lowther is equally good in his role, a boy who comes from a family whose religious beliefs are quite strict. On their sojourn, the boy acquires, and sometimes wears, a Casper-the-friendly-ghost mask, a symbol of childhood innocence that contrasts nicely with the seriousness of a dangerous hostage situation.

The relationship between Haynes and the kid evolves into a kind of father-son union, wherein Haynes does most of the talking, and the kid reacts, usually with clever, nonverbal expressions. It's a good acting arrangement that plays up the strengths of both actors. It's the best element of the film.

Throughout their odyssey, a collection of oldies pop songs helps to capture the early 1960's era, though I could have wished that the volume had been turned up. Haynes' goal is Alaska, but he doesn't quite get there, and the film ends much more interestingly than it began.

The main problem with the film is the plot. It gets off to a hokey, contrived start. And, throughout the film, the law enforcement component does not work at all. It comes across as stereotyped, irritating, unnecessary, and it is not funny despite attempts to make it funny. You get the feeling you're watching reruns of "The Dukes Of Hazard", especially with that corny trailer.

Even so, the film is worth watching, for the acting accomplishments of Costner and Lowther, and for the interesting dialogue that takes place between their two characters.