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"A Perfect World" contains a prison break, the taking of a hostage, a chase across Texas, two murders, various robberies, and a final confrontation between a fugitive and a lawman. It is not really about any of those things, however. It's deeper and more interesting than that. It's about the true nature of violence and about how the child is father to the man.

The film brings together the leading icons of two generations of strong, silent American leading men: Kevin Costner , as a fugitive who takes a boy as a hostage, and Clint Eastwood , as the Texas Ranger who leads the pursuit. But the Costner character doesn't seem really focused on his escape, and the Eastwood character seems somewhat removed from the chase. These two men first met long ago, and they both know this isn't about a chase. It's about old, deep wounds.

This is a movie that surprises you. The setup is such familiar material that you think the story is going to be flat and fast. But the screenplay by John Lee Hancock goes deep. And the direction by Clint Eastwood finds strange, quiet moments of perfect truth in the story.

Both Costner and Eastwood are fresh from triumphs at the Academy Awards, but in neither " Dances with Wolves " nor " Unforgiven " will you find the subtlety and the sadness they discover here. Eastwood has directed 17 films, but his direction is sometimes taken less seriously because he's a movie star. "A Perfect World" is a film any director alive might be proud to sign.

Costner's character, Butch Haynes, is a young man who drifted into trouble and was sentenced unfairly, to get him out of the way. The Eastwood character, Red Garnett, had something to do with that and has never felt quite right about it. Escaping from prison, Haynes and another convict break in on a mother and her children at dawn. Soon they're on the road with a hostage, Phillip (T.J. Lowther), 9 or 10 years old.

Before long the other con is gone from the scene and the man and the boy are cutting across the back roads of Texas. In pursuit is Red Garnett, riding in a newfangled Airglide trailer that's a "mobile command headquarters." Garnett is saddled with a talky criminologist ( Laura Dern ) and various other types, including a sinister federal agent who is an expert marksman. The general view is that Haynes is a desperate kidnapper. Both Eastwood and Dern think, for different reasons, it isn't that simple.

And it's not. The heart of the movie is the relationship that develops between the outlaw and the kid. You can look very hard, but you won't be able to guess where this relationship is going. It doesn't fall into any of the conventional movie patterns. Butch isn't a terrifically nice guy, and Phillip isn't a cute movie kid who makes and then loses a friend.

It's not that simple. Butch, we learn, was treated badly as a boy. His father was absent, his mother was a prostitute, the men in her life didn't like him much. Butch talks vaguely about going to Alaska. But as the man and boy drive through the dusty 1963 Texas landscape, it's more like they're going in circles, while the man looks hard at the boy and tries to see what it means to be a boy, what is the right way and the wrong way to talk to one. He's trying to see himself in the kid.

There are some murders in the film, all of them off-camera.

One body is found in an auto trunk, the other in a cornfield. We don't see either killing; Eastwood stays away from the cliche of a gun firing, a body falling, and it's not until late in the film that someone is shot onscreen, and then in very particular circumstances.

But there is violence in the movie. In the film's key sequence, Butch and Phillip are given shelter for the night by a friendly black farmer (George Haynes). The next morning, Butch watches as the farmer treats his son roughly, slapping him when he doesn't behave. It's the wrong way to treat a kid, but Butch's reaction is so angry that we realize a nerve has been touched. And as a complex series of events unfolds, we discover the real subject of the movie: Treat kids right, and you won't have to put them in jail later on. The crucial violence, from which later violence springs, is when a child is treated with cruelty.

Eastwood tells the story in unexpected ways. The way Butch starts right out, for example, letting Phillip hold a gun. (But not to shoot someone with it; his reasons for doing this, in fact, are so deep that you have to think long about them.) And scenes of quirky humor involving runaway trailers, Halloween masks, barbecued steaks and other details that break the tension with a certain craziness.

(There is, for example, a scene in a roadside diner named "Dottie's Squat and Gobble," which is the best restaurant name I have ever seen in a movie.) "A Perfect World" has the elements of a crime genre picture, but the depth of thought and the freedom of movement of an art film.

You may be reminded of " Bonnie and Clyde ," " Badlands " or an unsung masterpiece from earlier in 1993, " Kalifornia ." Not because they all tell the same story, but because they all try to get beneath the things we see in a lot of crime movies and find out what they really mean.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

A Perfect World (1993)

Rated PG-13 For Violence, Sexual Content and Language

136 minutes

Kevin Costner as Butch Haynes

Clint Eastwood as Red Garnett

T.J. Lowther as Phillip Perry

Directed by

Clint Eastwood

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A Perfect World; Where Destiny Is Sad and Scars Never Heal

By Janet Maslin

Nov. 24, 1993

In a perfect world, says one rueful character in Clint Eastwood's quietly devastating new film, the events that shape the story of Butch Haynes and Philip Perry wouldn't have to happen. But the world in which "A Perfect World" unfolds is a place of sad, ineradicable scars that shape their characters' destinies. Many of those scars have to do with the burdens and misapprehensions of manhood, as illustrated beautifully during the course of this eloquent road film and understood by Mr. Eastwood in subtle, profoundly moving ways. The time and place -- Texas, just before the Kennedy assassination -- tacitly heighten the film's sense of needless tragedy.

"A Perfect World," a deeply felt, deceptively simple film that marks the high point of Mr. Eastwood's directing career thus far, could never be mistaken for a young man's movie. Nor could it pass for a reckless, action-packed tale of characters on the run. A lifetime's worth of experience colors the shifting relationship between Butch, superbly played by Kevin Costner with an unexpected toughness and passion, and Phillip (T. J. Lowther), the little boy who starts out as Butch's prisoner and winds up as his surrogate son.

A plot like this has many opportunities to turn maudlin, but "A Perfect World" remains remarkably free of sentimentality. Instead, it is sustained by small, revealing surprises that carry Butch and Phillip ever closer to the film's stunning climax. This story builds up to an event that crystallizes all of its regrets about the mistakes that are passed from father to son, and about the kind of machismo that operates on cue.

"I don't know nothin'," mutters a stricken Mr. Eastwood, who appears in the smaller role of Red Garnett, the Texas Ranger assigned to recover Butch and Phillip, and who finally meets them in this anguished closing scene. "Not one damn thing." With sober intelligence and a welcome dearth of empty heroics, the film allows the wisdom of this moment to hit home.

The story begins when Butch escapes from prison along with Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka), a much more vicious convict. In short order, they break into the Perry house and wind up taking Phillip hostage. For Phillip, a fatherless boy cowed by his stern, religious mother, this makes for a terrifying yet thrilling brush with masculinity. Being a smart boy, Phillip quickly understands the difference between trigger-happy Terry, who isn't long for this story, and a more laconic and laid-back man like Butch. And Butch, despite his diffidence, finds himself wanting to give this boy the fatherly presence he himself never had.

The film recognizes Butch as a killer. And it is discriminating enough to admire his latter-day cowboy magnetism without treating him as a hero. But it does see him as a complex and fascinating figure, a person of principle who has been damaged in ways the story only gradually reveals. The closeness between Butch and Phillip, written and acted with such understated grace, develops in ways that make sense because of Butch's own history. Meanwhile, Phillip is seen rising to the point of making moral choices, and learning to understand right and wrong on his own.

"A Perfect World," a rare high-powered Hollywood film that is actually about something, evokes the cinematic past in effortless, interesting ways. If its story (from a terse, colorful screenplay by John Lee Hancock) is pure western and its backdrop one of wide-open spaces, its doomed, claustrophobic sense of the modern world makes for a compelling contrast. So does the air of inevitability about its principals' destinies, as do the doubts that plague Red Garnett as he tries to do what was once a Texas Ranger's traditional job. It's not so simple any more.

Mr. Eastwood's direction of this handsome film (with its Texas tableaux shot by Jack N. Green, also the cinematographer on "Unforgiven") manages to be both majestic and self-effacing. The same can be said of his own performance, as he jokes about age and infirmity (Red drinks Geritol) while inevitably projecting substance and grit. Also on the Texas Rangers' team is Laura Dern, in the small but enjoyable role of a criminologist trying to bring a modern approach to the job. "Penal escape situation" is what she calls this manhunt.

Mr. Costner's performance is absolutely riveting, a marvel of guarded, watchful character revealed through sly understatement and precise details. Despite its slow Southern tempo, this is Mr. Costner's most vigorous screen performance since "No Way Out," and an overdue reminder of why he is a film star of such magnitude. Mr. Eastwood also elicits uncommonly fine acting from little T. J. Lowther, who makes Phillip's yearning palpable and real. Also memorable in small roles are Mr. Szarabajka, as scary and erratic as his escaped convict is meant to be, and Wayne Dehart as the sharecropper who helps out Butch and in the process sends him over the edge.

It's worth pointing out that the thought of men's legacies to their children, and of their failures or frustrations in bringing up those children, has figured prominently in a number of recent films (among them "My Life," "Carlito's Way" and the new "Mrs. Doubtfire"). "A Perfect World" gives that subject real meaning.

"A Perfect World" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It includes violence, strong language and one brief sexual situation.

A Perfect World

Directed by Clint Eastwood; written by John Lee Hancock; director of photography, Jack N. Green; edited by Joel Cox; music by Lennie Niehaus; production designer, Henry Bumstead; produced by Mark Johnson and David Valdes; released by Warner Brothers. Running time: 130 minutes. This film is rated PG-13.

Red Garnett . . . . . Clint Eastwood

Butch Haynes . . . . . Kevin Costner

Sally Gerber . . . . . Laura Dern

Phillip Perry . . . . . T. J. Lowther

Terry Push . . . . . Keith Szarabajka

Mack . . . . . Wayne Dehart

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A Perfect World Reviews

It's an American masterpiece.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Nov 26, 2013

It will not please everyone because it presents things in shades of gray and takes few easy outs.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 8, 2012

Tells the tale of an escaped convict and his eight-year-old hostage and, in the process, considers the cycles of disappointment wrought on sons by questionable fathers: abusive ones, absent ones, even a well-meaning "daddy state." [Blu-ray]

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 5, 2012

Entertaining manhunt film.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 6, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Sep 7, 2011

Hancock's surface-skimming script is too formulaic for the job. There's enough material here for a crisp 90-minute entertainment. At 2+ hours, the leisurely, mildly engaging A Perfect World barely sputters across the finish line.

Full Review | Apr 7, 2008

A tender, poignant, ultimately heartbreaking film filled with haunting, lasting images and nicely eccentric touches. Arguably Costner's best performance, and one of Eastwood's most underrated efforts behind the camera.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 3, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 6, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 1, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 2, 2005

Right on the heels of his critical and box-office smash Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood made this outstanding, haunting tale of an escaped convict (Kevin Costner in his greatest performance), and it was completely ignored.

Full Review | Jan 15, 2005

Stark, gritty story well directred by Eastwood.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 15, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 10, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 8, 2004

Moving and totally absorbing.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 2, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 17, 2003

Never once feels like more than push-button artifice.

Full Review | Original Score: 55/100 | Aug 16, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 20, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 23, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 19, 2003

A Perfect World

Where to Watch

Kevin Costner (Butch Haynes) Clint Eastwood (Red Garnett) Laura Dern (Sally Gerber) T.J. Lowther (Phillip Perry) Keith Szarabajka (Terry Pugh) Leo Burmester (Tom Adler) Paul Hewitt (Dick Suttle) Bradley Whitford (Bobby Lee) Ray McKinnon (Bradley) Jennifer Griffin (Gladys Perry)

Clint Eastwood

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.

Recommendations

Why 'A Perfect World' Is Clint Eastwood’s Most Underrated Movie

The 1993 film is among Eastwood's best directorial efforts.

At 91 years old, Clint Eastwood continues to be one of Hollywood’s most prolific directors. Eastwood often puts projects together quickly; Richard Jewell began filming in June and hit its December release date, and less than a year later he was back behind and in front of the camera for his latest feature Cry Macho . While Eastwood has teased that Cry Macho may be his closing chapter, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll follow through with that promise or find another story that sparks his interest.

Compared to his other work, 1993’s A Perfect World is somewhat of an anomaly. Eastwood has nearly forty directorial credits to his name and gravitates toward westerns, action films, and thrillers. Based on the premise alone, A Perfect World sounds like it's right up Eastwood’s alley. Set in Texas in 1963, the film follows escaped convict Butch Haynes ( Kevin Costner ), who takes an eight-year-old child named Phillip ( T. J. Lowther ) hostage while fleeing authorities.

The Tragedy of 'A Perfect World'

Regret and destiny are themes Eastwood frequently explores, yet A Perfect World is among the most tragic and surprisingly unsentimental films of his career. Phillip isn’t utilized to soften the heart of the gruff Butch, nor is Phillip empowered by the dangerous experience. It’s a film about trauma that doesn’t heal; Phillip and Butch are able to momentarily bond while discussing their pasts, but their realities don’t change as a result. As Butch travels with the boy towards an escape route in New Mexico, he’s steadily impressed by his captive’s inventiveness. Phillip steals a ghost costume, but it’s not framed as a cutesy moment. Rather, he’s shown a disregard for civility reminiscent of the man he just watched kill his own partner .

RELATED: Actually, Western Icon Clint Eastwood Is Better Off When He's Not a Cowboy

Phillip was raised in a Jehovah's Witness community by his mother and sisters, and Butch gives him a broader worldview. His naivete isn’t exaggerated; there are more blatant aspects of childhood that Butch is surprised to learn Phillip knows nothing about (such as Christmas or Halloween celebrations), but he’s also secluded from developing self-respect. When Hayne encourages Phillip to have confidence after the boy reveals he’s been bullied, it's not positioned as an out-of-character moment of kindness on Butch’s behalf. The words of encouragement come as a surprise, and the scene is more tragic in revealing Phillip’s self-loathing than they are a charming moment of bonding.

Butch’s growing interest in Phillip’s development is strengthened as he reveals his own troubled childhood. Fleeing his violent father, Butch had already developed a reputation by the time he was a teenager and served a full sentence after being denied juvenile prison. Butch’s supportive words of Phillip are tragically ironic; they’re an attempt at replicating a father-son relationship he never had, even if he knows it isn’t sustainable.

While Phillip takes Butch’s lessons about right and wrong to heart, he also learns that his new father figure often doesn’t follow his own rules. As the pair hides at a ranch New Mexico, Butch becomes angered witnessing the violent outbursts that the owner Mack ( Wayne Dehart ) inflicts upon his wife. Butch threatens to kill him , and Phillip is forced to evaluate the situation in a split second. Is Butch justified, and would Mack’s death even resolve the situation? These aren’t questions an eight-year-old should have to consider, let alone bear responsibility for, but in the tense face-off, Phillip is forced to be the voice of reason.

Eastwood, Texas Ranger

Eastwood casts himself as Texas Ranger Red Garnett, who aims to capture Butch alive before he sparks a conflict with other pursuing authorities. Garnett’s motivation in aprehending Butch is personal, as it is revealed that he was the arresting officer that detained Garnett in his youth. Butch is unaware of the connection, but it's a decision that haunts Garnett. While he thought that forcing Butch to see the consequences of his actions would’ve spared him of his abusive father, he realizes that it only hardened Butch’s outlook.

Eastwood frequently casts himself in the lead, but he’s equally effective in a supporting role. Garnett is far different from a character like Unforgiven ’s Will Munny, as he’s not an evil man trying to redeem a life of hatred, but rather a career lawman regretting a misconstrued attempt at giving Butch a way out. Eastwood is terrific playing internalized guilt, as Garnett only gradually reveals his motivations to criminologist Sally Gerber ( Laura Dern ). While the film builds towards their confrontation, they don’t share words; Butch never learns of the man who sealed his fate, and Garnett never gets the chance to voice his apology.

Eastwood's Best Film About Masculinity

Eastwood is no stranger to long runtimes, but A Perfect World ’s 138 minutes don’t feel excessive. The suspenseful sequences are realistic; when Butch’s partner Terry Pugh ( Keith Szarabajka ) threatens to kill him, they discuss their options over an extended conversation. The two aggressive men have reason enough to hate each other, as they only escaped together out of necessity, but both understand the value in mapping an escape together. That Terry’s death only comes after he threatens Phillip is a great character-building moment for Butch; he’s willing to risk his own future to protect Phillip in the film’s first true act of selflessness.

Although tension steadily mounts as Garnett follows Butch’s trail, the climax is more of an inevitability than it is the conclusion of a relentless chase. Butch’s death comes through another mischaracterized act of kindness; choosing to spend a few fleeting moments with Phillip , a simple gift is misinterpreted as a weapon by a trigger-happy sniper. At this moment, all the characters see their “perfect world” slip away; Garnett loses his chance to confess to Butch, Phillip is doomed to return to his religious upbrining, and Butch loses his life after showing his benevolence. While he’s known for his lack of storyboarding and minimal camera setups , Eastwood’s meticulous approach to conflict in A Perfect World’s tragedy makes it more effective.

Eastwood is known for his hypermasculine characters, but A Perfect World is perhaps his best film about masculinity, as its trio of traumatized men are all punished for showing sensitivity. Eastwood’s films are frequently under fire for their political baggage, but A Perfect World doesn’t lionize its characters or offer an easy solution. It presents a slice of reality, and the flawed characters forced to inhabit it.

MPAA Rating

Produced by, a perfect world (1993), directed by clint eastwood.

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Review by Josh Ralske

Clint Eastwood followed up his Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed Unforgiven, the Western to end all Westerns, with another impressive, but grossly underappreciated work, A Perfect World. The film is portentously set in Texas in 1963, and it offers a compelling examination of the nature of American violence. Some Eastwood fans were probably put off by the fact that it's Kevin Costner who plays the traditional Eastwood part, the outlaw with a code of honor, while the man himself is relegated to playing, very effectively, the inept authority figure. In fact, by directing White Hunter, Black Heart, Unforgiven, and this film in succession, Eastwood demonstrated his willingness to critique his own status as an American icon, to an extent that few actors in such a position ever had. These films feature some of his best work as an actor, and there's not an unconditionally heroic figure in any of them. A Perfect World is probably the most moving of the three films, with the wonderful complexity of Kevin Costner's performance as the well-meaning but emotionally combustible Butch Haynes, playing off a touchingly naturalistic performance by child-actor T.J. Lowther as his entranced hostage, Phillip Perry. The film compellingly contrasts the uncontrollable violence of Haynes -- which arises from his own history of abuse and from his passionate beliefs -- with the calculated, state-sanctioned violence of the FBI sharpshooter, Bobby Lee (Bradley Whitford), whose cold competence in the name of ideology tellingly alludes to the contemporaneous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. With its well-drawn characters, its action and humor, and its moral complexity, A Perfect World is one of Eastwood's strongest films, as both an actor and a director.

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Where to watch

A perfect world.

Directed by Clint Eastwood

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.

Kevin Costner Clint Eastwood Laura Dern T.J. Lowther Bradley Whitford Keith Szarabajka Leo Burmester Paul Hewitt Ray McKinnon Jennifer Griffin Leslie Flowers Belinda Flowers Darryl Cox Jay Whiteaker Taylor Suzanna McBride Christopher Reagan Ammons Mark Voges Vernon Grote James Jeter Ed Geldart Bruce McGill Nik Hagler Gary Moody Mary Alice Wayne Dehart Kevin Woods Linda Hart Connie Cooper John Hussey Show All… Gabriel Folse Brandon Smith Elizabeth Ruscio

Director Director

Clint Eastwood

Producers Producers

Clint Eastwood David Valdes Mark Johnson

Writer Writer

John Lee Hancock

Casting Casting

Phyllis Huffman

Editors Editors

Joel Cox Ron Spang

Cinematography Cinematography

Jack N. Green

Production Design Production Design

Henry Bumstead

Art Direction Art Direction

Jack G. Taylor Jr.

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Stunts stunts.

Buddy Van Horn Andy Gill Brian Smrz Norman Howell

Composer Composer

Lennie Niehaus

Songs Songs

T.J. Lowther

Costume Design Costume Design

Erica Edell Phillips

Malpaso Productions Warner Bros. Pictures

Releases by Date

24 nov 1993, 15 dec 1993, 16 dec 1993, 17 dec 1993, 30 dec 1993, 06 jan 1994, 07 jan 1994, 15 jan 1994, 10 mar 1994, 01 jul 1994, 27 jan 2003, 10 sep 2003, 09 jul 1994, 27 may 2004, releases by country.

Theatrical M
Theatrical 12+
Theatrical U
Theatrical 12
Theatrical T

Netherlands

Physical 12 DVD, Blu ray
TV 12 RTL 5
Theatrical M/16

South Korea

Physical 15
Theatrical PG-13

138 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by davidehrlich ★★★★

brain-melting charisma was so cool. the movies should really consider bringing that back.

Review by Josh Lewis ★★★★★

No country for broken boys.

Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★★★

A rocket ride through the world of men and all the laws, written or otherwise, that regulate it. Every bit with Costner and the kid is a marvel. The stuff inside the trailer can be more staid despite some wonderful back and forth between Eastwood and Dern, but the intercut between lawless and order is essential to what the movie is doing and it moves very strong from one to the other. Good to know this still makes me cry hard as it has been a few years. My pick for greatest movie made in Hollywood after the studio system collapsed.

Review by Willow Maclay ★★★★½ 5

"In Eastwood's filmography knowing how to use a gun and the consequences of that knowledge are addressed in the hands of fathers and their sons, whether they be surrogate or natural born. The most famous example of this is in Unforgiven (1992) where William Munny (Clint Eastwood) consoles “the Schofield Kid” (Jaimz Woolvett) after he kills a man for the first time. The Kid is struggling to grasp what he has just done. He's in disbelief, chugging whiskey and holding back tears before Munny utters a few words on killing that resonate beyond Unforgiven and are applicable to many of Eastwood's films. “It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got...and all he's ever…

Review by eddie ★★★★★

hell no, phillip. good size for a boy your age

most of the runtime consists of intercutting costner teaching a jehova's witness youth about outlaw moralism with clint the texas ranger fighting off the governer's criminologist (laura dern) and the fbi's sharpshooter (bradley whitford), who were assigned to assist his highway manhunt, which is... perfect. eastwood is a master of balancing the melodramatic and the procedural, which makes the clash of the two at the climax that much more painful. whitford looking down the scope, followed by a series of reaction shots that seem to punctuate the dramatic thread of each character. buzz asks butch "are you bad?", and this ironic question has as much weight as henry fonda's "by jing, that's all there is to it. right and wrong" in young mr. lincoln . myth-making in the gray area.

Review by Glenn Heath Jr. ★★★★★

Men trying to be fathers, boys trying to be sons. What a wonderful film.

Review by Will Sloan

Leonard Maltin’s two-star review states: “Something new in screen entertainment: A manhunt movie with no urgency and no suspense.” He is correct, but wrong to think that this is a problem.

If you had any doubt that the director is the author of a movie, consider that this is written by John Lee Hancock.

Review by theriverjordan ★★★★ 21

“A Perfect World” is a movie made masterful by its flaws.

Clint Eastwood’s crime drama about an escaped convict (Kevin Costner) that takes a young boy hostage fluctuates with a jerking suddenness of tone between moments of comedy and trauma.

The unevenness is one of Eastwood’s recurring late career quirks, but in “World,” the imbalance functions to further the tinderbox tenacity of the setup. Working class dad Costner is constantly on the verge of deceiving even himself that he is the mastermind of an amiable family road trip, rather than of a violent crime.

The pairing of two notable Western genre actor-directors in “World” cannot have escaped audiences of the time; so soon after Costner’s sweeping the Oscars for “Dances…

Review by Joe ★★★★★

After tearing down the western in Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood decided to do some mythmaking of his own, about an outlaw instead of a lawman. His mastery of relaxed pacing makes this a pleasure to watch, but not without darkness - the late sequence with Costner's Butch Haynes coming harrowingly close to gunning down a family In-Cold-Blood-style is a great illustration of how heroes sometimes (maybe inevitably) end up failing us.

But my favorite part of the movie is T.J. Lowther as Butch's 8-year-old "hostage" Phillip. Movie history is full of precocious, hyperverbal youngsters who talk like grownups and are able to fully articulate all of their complex emotions in a way that adults aren't even able to in the real…

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★★ 11

This is one of those films that has been on my radar for years because of this platform. The reaction has been varied, but I saw it online and decided to check it out after all.

And, while I'm not sure I agree that this is Eastwood's finest picture, it is one of his most moving. The connection between Costner and TJ is fantastic, despite the fact that the kid's acting was at times comical. Surprisingly, the worst performance for me came at the height of tension, when we see Costner's more vicious side, when we are reminded that this man is a dangerous criminal. There are also some repulsive scenes of paedophilia that made me uncomfortable.

Another thing I…

Review by chavel ★★★½ 5

It’s Texas 1962, and Robert “Butch” Haynes (Kevin Costner) has successfully pulled off a prison break along with a Neanderthal partner which leads them on the way out of town in taking a 9-year old (T.J. Lowther) hostage. I still do not know too much about Jehovah’s Witnesses believers, but I suppose the upbringing is very strict. The boy has been raised as one of them; on the road he forms an unlikely devotion for his kidnapper Butch because he is a man that refreshingly lives by his own liberated rules.

Released in 1993, this Clint Eastwood film might have been sold at the time as a kidnap and caper yarn with some introspective elements to beef things up. Today,…

Review by Swartacus ★★★★★ 8

A Perfect World is Eastwood's darkest timeline. The follow up to his masterpiece and crowning achievement Unforgiven, it continues his exploration of American violence through classic genre filmmaking. This time he is taking on the "ill-fated road movie" trope instead of the Western and he destroys it like a linebacker pulverizing a tackling dummy.

It's infinitely interesting that instead of the rain-soaked darkness of Unforgiven 's brutal climax, Eastwood chooses to employ the beautiful landscape of Texas drenched in harsh unforgiving sunlight. A Perfect World is the obverse of Eastwood's Unforgiven coin. Every bit as biting as that gem, but in fact twice as sour because it's delivered with such sweetness. This is Eastwood playing with house money after striking cinematic…

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A Perfect World

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Clint Eastwood, as Texas Ranger Red Garnett, teams up with Kevin Costner, as escaped convict Butch Haynes, for a gripping manhunt circa 1963. Though both stars have won Oscars for directing, Eastwood grabs the reins and draws Costner’s scrappiest performance since Bull Durham . Butch takes a hostage in fatherless, 7-year-old Phillip (T.J. Lowther) and shows him stuff to fry the nerves of his mother, a Jehovah’s Witness. How do guns and grand theft qualify as fun? Butch, also from a broken home, makes a charming and dangerous teacher.

Red, who sent Butch away as a juvenile, pursues his man in a trailer where he can trade insults with his deputies and a sexy criminologist (Laura Dern). Eastwood is in rare form, but it’s his keen directorial eye that stops the John Lee Hancock script from slipping into TV formula. Eastwood keeps the action raucous, the humor sharp edged and the focus on the lost boy in Butch, whose attack on a black family spins the film into a shattering climax that indicts the legal system for helping to make career criminals of kids. In going beyond chase-yarn duty, Eastwood and Costner do themselves proud.

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A Perfect World Review

01 Jan 1993

138 minutes

A Perfect World

Even before the glorius triumph of of Unforgiven, a palpable sense of expectation greeted any project directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Add to the mix Kevin Costner, who with Dances With Wolves proved himself the one-time possible heir to Clint's actor-director throne, and it's doubly disappointing to report that A Perfect World, while not a total disaster by any means, squanders the talents of Eastwood and to a lesser extent Costner, as well as those of Dern, who appears, literally, to be along for the ride to counter-balance the prodigious amount of testosterone on display here. Equally perplexing is the question of just which audience the film is aimed at, being neither mainstream-friendly enough to satisfy those who lapped up Costner's do-goody turn in last year's The Bodyguard, nor those expecting another masterpiece from Eastwood in the wake of the Oscar-winning Unforgiven.

The problem herein is not that Costner is cast against acceptable type as a murderous con on the lam, but that John Lee Hancock's script which offers half a dozen intriguing and potentially explosive possibilities, the majority of which come off as blanks under Clint's direction allows the film to boil over in the heat of the midday sun, when, ideally, it needed to be left to simmer.

Set in a Texas still awaiting JFK's fateful visit, this is little more than a Western in 60s dress, with Costner's William "Butch" Haynes breaking out of prison along with fellow convict Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka), and setting off on an ill-founded quest to Alaska, taking hostage a fatherless eight-year-old Jehovah's Witness called Phillip (T.J. Lowther). Representing justice are Dern's state-appointed omni-nologist and Clint's grizzled Texas Ranger who set off in lukewarm pursuit, taking their manhunt to the backroads of Texas within the confines of a sleek silver caravan their paths intersecting with Haynes only twice.

Indeed, with both Dern and Clint very much on the periphery, it's the relationship between Costner and the boy that is at the heart of the film. And despite a wobbly Texan twang, Costner equips himself more than admirably, his Haynes exhibiting a dangerous, potentially murderous unpredictability, but conversely a warmth and compassion in his dealings with children. While a hardened criminal, as a surrogate father to the boy his motives are grounded in morality "I've only ever killed two people," he tells Phillip, "one hurt my mamma, one hurt you." Inevitably Haynes' affections are reciprocated by the boy, but unlike the back-story in which it transpires that it was Clint who recommended Haynes be sent to the juvenile detention centre where he learned the tricks of his criminal trade, the sentiments expressed ring true.

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A Perfect World

Time out says, release details.

Duration: 138 mins

Cast and crew

Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
Keith Szarabajka
Leo Burmeister
Clint Eastwood
Kevin Costner

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A Perfect World (1993)

A hardened prison escapee and a Texas Ranger play a game of cat and mouse.

Rating: 8/10

Outstanding but oft-overlooked character drama that deserves to reach a much wider audience. Well worth watching.

Running Time: 132 minutes

UK Certificate: 15

Kevin Costner stars as Robert Butch Haynes, a violent convicted criminal who escapes from a Texas prison in 1963 in the company of fellow convict Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka). On the run from the authorities, the two take a hostage an eight-year-old boy called Phillip Buzz Perry (TJ Lowther). When Terry threatens the boy, Butch kills him and continues his flight with Buzz. As they travel together, the two form a common bond, as Buzz sees in Butch a replacement for his father who abandoned him as a child. Buzz even finds himself helping Butch in evading the authorities.

In pursuit of the pair are grizzled Texas Ranger Chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) and criminal psychological profiler Sally Gerber (Laura Dern). Garnett knows Butch well, as they have had run-ins before, and is doubtful of the use a profiler will be to him in the investigation. As the hunt continues, Butch opens up to Buzz and tells him about his life, and his wish to find his own father in Alaska where he dreams of living in peace. However, Butch is an escaped criminal and his dreams are unlikely to come true. When the authorities finally catch up with them, only Garnett and Gerber really understand the fugitive pair and may not be able to prevent a tragedy.

A Perfect World is often overlooked, which is a shame as it is a fine piece of work. Clint Eastwoods direction is pretty much spot on throughout, and the film wants only the injection of a little pace in the middle to make it near perfect. The acting by both Eastwood and Kevin Costner makes this easily one of the better films in both their careers, which is interesting since they are so much better known for other sometimes lesser films. Young newcomer TJ Lowther also turns in a stellar performance, convincing and touching. The story itself has been done in various ways before, but this really is the best treatment of it so far.

It's Got: Performances that mark a career high-point for both Costner and Eastwood.

It Needs: A bit more pace at times.

DVD Extras Just a trailer with this budget single-disc release. DVD Extras Rating: 1/10

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A PERFECT WORLD

What You Need To Know:

(H, LLL, VVV, Ho, SS, N, M) Humanism; 39 obscenities, 11 profanities & numerous vulgarities; small boy pistol-whipped by escaped convict, kidnapping, two families with small children terrorized, murder, property damage, armed robbery, theft, & brutality; homosexual advance made toward small boy by convict & attempted sexual encounter interrupted by small boy; brief and partial nudity in aforementioned scene; boy's religion is demeaned, main character smokes constantly, & boy is taught that stealing is OK if no money is available; and, an overall amoral worldview with no clear right and wrong.

More Detail:

Audiences expecting an action-packed/lawman-gets-his-man/adventure from the first Costner & Eastwood pairing will be greatly disappointed with the depressing and morally imperfect film A PERFECT WORLD. Kevin Costner plays escaped convict Butch Haynes, and Clint Eastwood, as Texas Ranger Red Garnett, is assigned to bring him in. Laura Dern is a fairly useless rookie criminologist along for the ride. Butch and a convict partner break out of Huntsville prison in 1963 Texas, steal a car and take a seven-year-old boy hostage. The film goes downhill from here, taking a psychological look at relationships and attempting to show similarities between Butch and his young hostage–both suffering from the ill-effects of life without a father. However, the film misses badly in its attempt to draw sympathy for Butch. He is a criminal, and his influence on Phillip is despicable as he teaches him how to steal, kill and rebel against his religious training. A father-son relationship? I think not!

Eastwood contributes very little to the film while on screen. His character is not particularly interesting and his performance is dull. His direction, however, is adequate. The story itself is depressing and morally empty, and that is exactly how viewers will feel after watching this film. The film quality is good, but in A PERFECT WORLD, good cinematography helps very little.

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In Texas, on Halloween of 1963, Butch Haynes and Terry Pugh escape from prison. They end up in the house of Gladys Perry, a deeply religious housewife, and in order to escape safely, they take Gladys' nine year old son Phillip as a hostage. However, Butch, who had a deeply troubled childhood, ends up killing Terry when Terry seems intent on killing Phillip. Butch gets the idea of taking Phillip to Alaska, and on their road trip, the two begin to bond somewhat. Meanwhile, Red Garnett, a Texas Ranger, is in pursuit of Butch, along with Sally Gerber, a criminologist who works in the governor's office, and Bobby Lee, an FBI agent, and it turns out Red and Butch have a history.

While the movie received good reviews ( Siskel & Ebert both praised it, and Cahiers du Cinema named it the best film released in 1993), it did only lukewarm box office in the United States (though it did much better worldwide, making $135.1 million overall). However, in later years, it's become seen as one of Eastwood's most underrated movies as director.

This film contains examples of:

Abusive Parents : Butch's mother was a prostitute, while his father, a criminal, was absent much of the time, and his mother's boyfriends didn't treat him well. This is part of why Red wanted Butch to be sentenced to a juvenile farm (see Back Story below), and why abusing children is a Berserk Button for Butch.
Anger Born of Worry : When Mack finds out Butch is an escaped criminal, and he sees his grandson Cleveland playing with Phillip, Mack gets so afraid and upset when Cleveland won't come to him right away after being called that he hits Cleveland and yells at him. Unfortunately for Mack, this pushes Butch's Berserk Button .
Back Story : When Butch was younger and had stolen a car, Red had him committed to a long sentence at a juvenile farm to get Butch away from his father, whom he considered bad news. Red obviously hoped the juvenile farm would help set Butch on the straight and narrow, and he feels guilty about the fact it did the opposite.
It also shows in the fact Butch hits Terry when he threatens Phillip, and later kills him when he's chasing after Phillip.
Children Are Innocent : Phillip, which is one of the reasons why Butch won't harm him at all, even when he takes him hostage, and even after Phillip shoots him to stop him from killing Mack and his family .
Cold Sniper : Agent Bobby Lee, who ends up shooting Butch from far away , and is completely cold and ruthless about it.
Contrived Coincidence : Butch drives down the road in the exact opposite direction Red and his group are going (see Surprisingly Realistic Outcome below), though it is justified in this case as they're both in the same area of the state, and they were bound to run into each other at some point.
Deadpan Snarker : Sally has her moments. Lt. Hendricks : Cordoned off the area. Red : Tight? Lt. Hendricks : Tighter than a frog's pussy. ( notices Sally ) Sorry, ma'am. Sally : No doubt an observation based on personal experience .
Downer Ending : Though Phillip is reunited with his mother finally at the end, he has to deal with the trauma not only of shooting Butch - to save Mack and his family - but also see Butch shot again in front of his eyes. Plus, Red and Sally were both hoping to get Butch to give up peacefully, and are devastated and angry when Agent Lee shoots him .
Groin Attack : After Agent Bobby Lee shoots Butch when he might have been giving himself up , Sally gets so upset she knees him in the groin, right after Red punches him.
Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook : Discussed - Sally brings up the fact Butch got sent to a tough juvenile farm just for stealing a car when he was a teen, and Tom responds, "That's where the sonofabitch learned to be a criminal."
Hidden Depths : Butch. According to Sally, he was tested while in jail, and his IQ is very high.
How We Got Here : The movie opens with Butch lying in the grass, as we hear a helicopter engine and see money flying around. The rest of the movie shows what led up to that moment.
Also, when Sally tells Red she's there to assist him in dealing with the penal escape situation (involving Butch and Terry), Red responds, "This is not a 'penal escape situation.' This happens to be a manhunt."
Insult Backfire : After Butch gives Phillip the gun and tells him to shoot Terry if he moves: Terry : You're a fucking crazy man . Butch : And that's a fact. I believe you're getting the hang of this.
Interrupted Intimacy : Butch is having sex with Eileen, the diner waitress, when Eileen spots Phillip looking at them. Eileen : Nosy little feller, ain't he?
Ironic Episode Title : The title A Perfect World is meant to reflect what people imagine, and believe, life was like in America before John F. Kennedy was assassinated, as it takes place in the weeks before Kennedy's visit to Texas. As the movie shows, things were far from perfect back then, and many of the problems of today existed back then as well.
It's All My Fault : Red feels this way when Butch is mortally wounded at the end by Agent Bobby Lee just as Red thought he had convinced Butch to give himself up : Sally : You know you did everything you could, don't you ? Red : ( voice breaking ) I don't know nothing. Not one damn thing.
Like a Son to Me : Butch seems to see Phillip like this, allowing him to ride on the top of a car they've stolen, allowing him to trick-or-treat even after Halloween is over (his mother won't allow the celebration of Halloween as it's against her religion), and trying to generally teach him to have fun, all while looking out for him.
The Mentally Disturbed : Butch is a tragic example. As shown throughout the film, he's actually a good-hearted person deep down, and is friendly and sociable for the most part. However, years of traumatic experiences from his horrifically abusive childhood have left a permanent toll on his psyche, causing him to flip into an uncontrollable and sometimes murderous rage whenever his Berserk Button gets pressed, which is triggered by seeing adults physically harming children, regardless of the reason.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Butch gets so angry at Mack hitting his grandson that he yells at Phillip when he's trying to get him to do something.
Potty Emergency : Phillip : Can we stop at the filling station? Butch : What for? Phillip : Number one. Butch : This here's nature, Phillip. Why don't you just...pee over by the tree?
Shoot Him, He Has a Wallet! : Agent Bobby Lee shoots Butch when it looks like he's going to pull out a gun and shoot. Turns out Butch was just pulling out the list .
Sally calls Red a "hillbilly Sherlock Holmes ".
Stockholm Syndrome : Phillip ends up bonding with Butch because Butch lets him have fun the way his mother doesn't let him, and treats him better than his absent father does. That's until it looks like Butch is going to kill Mack and his family... .
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome : Red, his deputies, Sally, and Agent Bobby Lee are pursuing Butch and Phillip in a high class trailer being pulled by a car. When Butch drives in the opposite direction, and Sally spots Phillip in the back, the car with the trailer gives chase. The man in charge of the trailer warns the deputy driving the car not to go over a certain speed limit or the trailer won't stay attached. Sure enough, when the deputy drives the car at a fast speed to catch up to Butch, the trailer becomes detached from the car, throwing everyone in it around the trailer (which also means things inside fall to the floor), and it ends up going into the fields.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork : Between Red and Sally. Red initially has no use for Sally's insights, and she considers him old-fashioned. However, as they pursue Butch, they learn to listen to each other and work together.
Threat Backfire : Terry : ( to Butch, as he's driving him and Phillip ) This goddam ear's still bleeding. You ever try that shit again- Butch : What? Terry : What? Butch : You were in the middle of threatening me. Terry : Ain't a threat - it's a fact. Butch : ( after getting Phillip to take the wheel ) In two seconds, I'm gonna break your nose. That's a threat. ( he punches Terry in the nose ) And that's a fact. Terry : I'm gonna kill you for that. Butch : And that's a threat. Begin to understand the difference?
Title Drop : Sally : ( looking at a map ) Shouldn't these be roadblocked as well? Tom ( Red's assistant chief ) Well, in a perfect world, Miss Gerber, we'd all lock arms and thrash the bushes until he turned up. Sally : Well, in a perfect world, things like this wouldn't happen in the first place, right?
Vomit Discretion Shot : Sally gets sick after she sees the dead body of the prison deputy Butch and/or Terry killed dumped in the trunk of the car, though we only see her backside.
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A Perfect World

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ReelViews James Berardinelli A Perfect World is evidence that Hollywood is still capable of producing the kinds of moving, intelligent movies that have increasingly become the province of independent film makers.
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert This is a movie that surprises you.
FulvueDrive-in.com Chuck O'Leary A tender, poignant, ultimately heartbreaking film filled with haunting, lasting images and nicely eccentric touches. Arguably Costner's best performance, and one of Eastwood's most underrated efforts behind the camera.
Kansas City Kansan Steve Crum Stark, gritty story well directred by Eastwood.
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov It's not a perfect movie -- there's a bit more formula here than there ought to be -- but it's closer than you might think.
TheMovieReport.com Michael Dequina Moving and totally absorbing.
Newsweek David Ansen Hancock's surface-skimming script is too formulaic for the job. There's enough material here for a crisp 90-minute entertainment. At 2+ hours, the leisurely, mildly engaging A Perfect World barely sputters across the finish line.
Rolling Stone Peter Travers In going beyond chase-yarn duty, Eastwood and Costner do themselves proud.
Washington Post Desson Thomson Within its narrow, unambitious, commercial boundaries, the movie is highly watchable.
Combustible Celluloid Jeffrey M. Anderson Right on the heels of his critical and box-office smash Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood made this outstanding, haunting tale of an escaped convict (Kevin Costner in his greatest performance), and it was completely ignored.
Apollo Guide Scott Weinberg Never once feels like more than push-button artifice.

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Screen Rant

Denzel washington's lost role in 2023 thriller prevented a perfect 30-year reunion from happening.

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Leave The World Behind Ending Explained

Denzel washington’s leave the world behind replacement saved 1 crucial character in netflix's disaster movie, brad pitt's upcoming movie will be perfect to watch while waiting for top gun 3.

Denzel Washington missed a 30-year reunion with Julia Roberts due to his exit from the 2023 Netflix movie Leave the World Behind.
Leave the World Behind was set to be Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts' first movie together since The Pelican Brief in 1993.
Leave the World Behind could have potentially redeemed the poor critical response to The Pelican Brief by pairing Denzel Washington with Julia Roberts again after three decades.

Leave the World Behind would have been an actor reunion 30 years in the making if Denzel Washington 's role in the 2023 Netflix thriller had worked out. Written and directed by Sam Esmail, Leave the World Behind is based on Rumaan Alam's 2020 apocalyptic novel of the same name about a family vacation that gets interrupted by the proclaimed owners of their rental home warning of an impending blackout and subsequent societal collapse.

Originally, Denzel Washington was supposed to star as G.H. Scott in Leave the World Behind . However, it was announced in September 2021 that Mahershala Ali had replaced Washington in Leave the World Behind after he left the project. While Ali did a great job as G.H. Scott, the role had a deeper significance for Washington because of his history with another member of the Leave the World Behind cast . If he'd stayed on the project, Leave the World Behind would have been Washington's first movie with one of his past co-stars in three decades.

The Sandfords reserve a house for a quick getaway, but their plans change after there's a massive cyber attack and the homeowners return unexpectedly.

Leave The World Behind Would Have Been A Pelican Brief Reunion For Denzel Washington & Julia Roberts

Washington & roberts starred in the legal thriller together in 1993, the pelican brief.

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Leave the World Behind would have reunited Denzel Washington with Julia Roberts , who plays Amanda Sandford in the Netflix movie, after they first shared the screen in the 1993 legal thriller The Pelican Brief . Serving as Alan J. Pakula's penultimate film before his death in 1998, The Pelican Brief is a film adaptation of John Grisham's 1992 novel about a law student named Darby Shaw (Roberts) and a newspaper reporter named Gray Grantham (Washington). While working on the titular legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices, Darby becomes a target herself and enlists Grantham's help.

Washington's exit prevented this 30-year reunion with Roberts from coming to fruition onscreen in Leave the World Behind.

Washington and Roberts have not starred in another movie together since The Pelican Brief , but that was all about to change with Leave the World Behind in 2023 . In addition to starring, Washington was also set to produce the film alongside Roberts. They were shaping up to be quite the powerhouse duo both in front and behind the camera, but sadly, Washington's exit prevented this 30-year reunion with Roberts from coming to fruition onscreen in Leave the World Behind.

Washington has also starred alongside another Leave the World Behind star, Ethan Hawke, in both Training Day (2001) and The Magnificent Seven (2016).

Denzel Washington was originally slated to play a pivotal role in Leave the World Behind, which would have changed the impact of this character.

Leave The World Behind Could Have Redeemed Denzel Washington & Julia Roberts' Thriller

Leave the world behind had better critical reception than the pelican brief.

Leave the World Behind was set to deliver Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts' long-awaited onscreen reunion after The Pelican Brief , which could have redeemed the 1993 legal thriller's poor critical performance. Despite its major star power, The Pelican Brief was not received well by critics , as reflected by its 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes . Though Roberts was already in a bit of a "Rotten" slump since Pretty Woman in 1990, The Pelican Brief broke Denzel Washington's "Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes streak in the '90s.

Rotten Tomatoes did not exist for another five years after The Pelican Brief was released, so these streaks are only in retrospect.

It would have been a different movie with Washington in it, but it's hard to imagine that Leave the World Behind's reviews wouldn't have amounted to a score that was as good or even better.

While it has a significantly lower audience score of 35% than The Pelican Brief 's 61% rating, Leave the World Behind was a much bigger hit with critics. The Netflix apocalyptic thriller holds a 73% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes , on which the consensus is that Leave the World Behind is " an exceptionally well-acted apocalyptic thriller. " If Washington never left, Leave the World Behind 's "Fresh" rating could have made up for The Pelican Brief 's "Rotten" status.

Of course, it would have been a different movie with Washington in it, but it's hard to imagine that Leave the World Behind 's reviews wouldn't have amounted to a score that was as good or even better with his presence, especially paired with Roberts. Critics conceded that these two made for " a compelling team " in The Pelican Brief and were the highlights of the otherwise disappointing film . Leave the World Behind was Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts' chance to fulfill their true collaborative potential after The Pelican Brief failed to fully showcase their talents.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes , Rotten Tomatoes

Leave the World Behind

A family's getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers appear at their door.

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Roger Corman, the B-movie legend who launched A-list careers, dies at 98

Cult film director Roger Corman often came up with titles before he came up with plots. His 1957 movie Attack of the Crab Monsters is one example — "I had no story," Corman told NPR's Renee Montagne in 2010 . Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images hide caption

Over the course of his half-century long career, Roger Corman filled America's drive-ins with hundreds of low-budget movies. They had titles like Sharktopus, Teenage Doll and The Terror. The trailers — and titles — were often better than the movies themselves.

But Corman was also a major figure in American independent film. The directors and actors who worked with him at the beginnings of their careers are a veritable who's who: Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola.

"I think the task of the filmmaker is to break through and hit that horror that still remains in the unconscious mind," Corman said. "And there's a certain amount of catharsis there. He's pictured above in 2009. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images hide caption

Corman died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California, according to a statement released Saturday by his wife and daughters. "He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him," the statement said. "When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, 'I was a filmmaker, just that.'" He was 98.

Corman was educated at Stanford and Oxford Universities before he became the dean of grindhouse. Back in 1990, Corman told NPR about making his first film, Monster from the Ocean Floor. It was the early 1950s, and Corman had read in the newspaper about a company that had invented a miniature submarine.

"I finished breakfast, called them up, said I was an independent filmmaker and would be interested in having their submarine in my picture," he recalled.

Putting free stuff in the flicks he pumped out for cheap became Corman's trademark — along with little-known starlets in even littler outfits, filmed on the littlest of budgets. Corman's thrift was legendary.

'Corman': King Of The B's, And A Nice Guy Besides

Dick Miller acted in dozens of Corman films, including the 1955 Western Apache Woman. "I played an Indian in my first picture and about halfway through [Corman] asked me ... Would you like to play a cowboy?" Miller remembered in a Fresh Air interview in 2004. "I said, Doing another movie already? He says, No, in the same movie. So I ended up playing a cowboy and an Indian in my first movie."

Corman released as many as eight pictures a year — a breakneck pace that rivaled even major studios. Once, as a joke, he borrowed a set (for free, of course) and shot a movie in two days and one night. That hastily assembled movie was the original, black and white, Little Shop of Horrors.

"Possibly the fast pace, the insane schedule, brought something to the picture that made it the more-or-less cult film it became," Corman said.

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars got their starts working on Corman films. Above, Salli Sachse and Peter Fonda are pictured on the set of The Trip, a 1966 film written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Corman. AP hide caption

Of course, it didn't hurt that the film featured a young Jack Nicholson playing a masochistic dental patient.

Nicholson showed up in a raft of Corman pictures, including a relatively well-regarded series based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, all starring Vincent Price.

But Corman was mostly synonymous with schlock — there was The Student Nurses in 1970 (followed by several subsequent nurse-focused films), the 1966 biker gang movie The Wild Angels , and 1975's homicidal hot rod movie Death Race 2000.

"The drivers are scored not only on how fast they can drive, and how many other drivers they could hit, but also how many pedestrians they could kill," Corman bragged. "Now that was the key. The picture was the biggest success we had, ever, and it led to all kinds of jokes that entered our era."

Corman received an honorary Oscar in 2009 for producing and directing more than 300 films and fostering the careers of Ron Howard, John Sayles, Sylvester Stallone and James Cameron.

"Probably all of his movies combined would not have cost as much as Avatar, " Cameron told NPR in 2010.

Movie Interviews

Repertoire of horrors: the films of roger corman.

Corman produced Cameron's first full-length feature, 1981's Piranha II: The Spawning, and taught him an essential lesson: "Your will is the only thing that makes the difference in getting the job done ..." Cameron said. "It teaches you to improvise, and, in a funny way, to never lose hope. Because you're making a movie, and the movie can be what you want it to be."

The movies Corman willed into being are their own loopy, glorious world of teenage cavemen, X-ray eyes and humanoids from the deep. His 300-some movies barely even rose to the level of camp. But many of Hollywood's most respected directors have at least one Corman credit buried in their resumes. And by teaching so many people how to deliver on-budget and on-schedule, Corman was arguably one of the most influential figures of American film.

In 1964 he married Julie Halloran, a UCLA graduate who also became a producer. He is survived by his wife Julie and children Catherine, Roger, Brian and Mary.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Has The Perfect Blueprint For an Unexpected Disney World

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Kingdom Hearts 4's Rumored Star Wars Crossover Needs to Be a Small Piece of a Larger Pie

Ghost of tsushima pc players are killing an unkillable boss, pokemon go announces new may 2024 event.

Kingdom Hearts 4 has potential to explore new Disney worlds, with rumors of a possible Star Wars inclusion.
A Bug's Life could offer a unique and charming world for Kingdom Hearts 4, drawing inspiration from the game Grounded.
Embracing underrated Disney properties like A Bug's Life could bring fresh and unexpected experiences to Kingdom Hearts 4.

Kingdom Hearts 4 has a vast amount of material that could be included in the franchise's next mainline game. The highly anticipated sequel is presumably going to bring even more Disney-inspired worlds to life, but there is one Disney movie that will offer a unique world for Kingdom Hearts 4 if Square Enix jumps at the chance.

One of the biggest points of speculation about Kingdom Hearts 4 is whether the game will include Star Wars or not. Although the inclusion of the Star Wars franchise feels inevitable at this point, it could be tricky to pull off. However, when it comes to animated films from Disney and Pixar's back catalog, A Bug's Life could be perfect for the game to explore.

The rumors suggesting a Star Wars world is coming to Kingdom Hearts 4 is exciting, but it needs to avoid becoming the centerpiece.

Kingdom Hearts 4 and A Bug's Life

Not only would Kingdom Hearts 4 have a field day with all the potential A Bug's Life offers, but Square Enix already has the perfect blueprint to help bring such a specific world to life. If it wants to take a short at crafting a world based around A Bug's Life , Square Enix should look to Obsidian's survival action title, Grounded .

Drawing Inspiration from Grounded

Released in 2020, Grounded earned praise as a survival experience that put players in the shoes of kids who were shrunk down to an ant-like size, in the same vein as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids . Going head-to-head against giant spiders and wasps can really get the heart racing, and although Kingdom Hearts doesn't have to go that far with a world based on A Bug's Life , taking notes from Grounded would be a great place to start.

A Bug's Life may not be one of the most popular movies to be released by Disney and Pixar in the 90s, but it's a really charming world that deserves to get a little more credit for its creativity. When putting Kingdom Hearts and A Bug's Life together just makes sense when thinking about it. Imagining Sora walking into a world with towering blades of grass while being welcomed by the likes of Flick and Heimlich makes it a perfect recipe for a great new world for Kingdom Hearts 4 to play with.

Kingdom Hearts 4 and Embracing Underrated Disney Properties

A Bug's Life would be a great starting point for Kingdom Hearts 4 to embrace other underrated Disney movies and shows that deserve a little bit more limelight. From Star Wars to Moana to Inside Out , Kingdom Hearts 4 can really showcase a great balance of both underrated gems and popular franchises that are in the mainstream. Speculating about what worlds the Kingdom Hearts series will feature next is one of the most exciting parts about waiting for the game, and Kingdom Hearts 4 could really do something special by completely subverting expectations.

If Kingdom Hearts 4 bypasses A Bug's Life world, it could truly be a missed opportunity from a world-building perspective. Getting to build an oversize ecosystem for Sora and various characters from A Bug's Life to explore could be a fresh new way to experiment with the game's platforming mechanics, while also presenting the opportunity to be in awe of a gigantic world. Kingdom Hearts 4 needs to surprise players , and including A Bug's Life is definitely something that wouldn't be expected.

Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

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‘hello, love, again’: star cinema & gma pictures set sequel to filipino box office hit ‘hello, love, goodbye’, ‘three kilometers to the end of the world’ review: emanuel parvu’s drama an expansive tale of corruption and lies – cannes film festival .

By Stephanie Bunbury

Stephanie Bunbury

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Nothing in a small village, however, happens in isolation. The beating has points of connection with so many aspects of community life and its power brokers – the police chief on the brink of retirement, the local property king whose sons do the bashing and to whom Dragoi owes a sum of money he has no hope of pulling together, the priest whose authority derives from the faithful and the fearful – that Parvu’s film becomes something like an emotional map of the community.

RELATED: Cannes Film Festival Photos

Instead of roads and houses, it shows where friendship, mutual support and favors exchanged have rotted into the muck of corruption. Instead of landmarks, it shows the culture’s stress points. As the story progresses, Adi himself becomes the still center of a swirl of forces that act together – as they would have done in so many other circumstances — to ensure justice will never be done.

Parvu is careful to show the complexity of these people as well as of their weave of betrayals, mistakes and wrongdoing. Even Zentov (Richard Bovnoczki), to whom bribes and threats are everyday calling cards, lashes out hard only because he knows his sons face prison time. He wants to protect them, as he tells Dragoi; doesn’t he also want to protect his son? The local priest (Adrian Titieni), who presides over a scene of forced exorcism that is truly sickening, clearly believes his own justification for his petty authority: that he should be trusted in the same way people trust doctors.

The actors bring to these portraits the naturalistic ease combined with intensity that is a hallmark of Romanian New Wave cinema, each one a whole person with their own reasons. Zentov and his confederates may be villains, but not the kind who wear capes: It is villainy submerged in normality.

The story is set in the Danube delta, where sunsets are vast and it is possible to go anywhere else only by boat. A widescreen format leaves room to show this expanse of wetlands in all its glory; there is no music, but a constant susurration of wind in the trees and bushes, sometimes accompanied by the ripple of water in the reeds at the water’s edge, provides a perfect soundtrack, the rustling of leaves a calm presence that can also feel frenetic when amplified. Adi texts the boy he met at the disco – a text revealed when his father forces him to open up his phone – to say he feels as if he is suffocating. Yet this is a place, as Parvu shows us, where there should be so much room to breathe. If they could just look about them, they might all be free.

Title: Three Kilometers to the End of the World Festival: Cannes (Competition) Director-screenwriter: Emanuel Parvu Cast: Bogdan Dumitrache, Ciprian Chiujdea, Laura Vasily Sales agent: Memento Running time: 1 hr 45 min

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A Perfect World

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and his partner Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) kidnap a young boy, Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), and flee across Texas. As they travel together, Butch and Phillip discover common bonds and suffer the abuses of the outside "Perfect World". In pursuit is Texas Ranger "Red" Garnett (Clint Eastwood) and Criminologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern). — James Yu <[email protected]>
This movie touches you from the bottom of your heart. It is a story about a man and a boy. A man (Kevin Costner) escapes from a prison with his partner (Keith Szarabajka) who he does not like. After escaping, they kidnap a little boy (T.J. Lowther). It is not a simple kidnapping story as people expect with violence and blood. This man, as he describes himself, is not a good guy, but not the worst either. The boy, living with his mom and two sisters, follows their family's religion, Jehovah's Witnesses, which forbids him from celebrating Halloween and Christmas. The man gives the boy opportunities to play the games that he wants to, tells him what is wrong and what is right, and asks him to be independent and make his own choices. — Shea
"A Perfect World," ostensibly about the escape of convicts Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) from a Huntsville prison, quickly focusses on their hostage-taking of an 8-year old boy, Philip Perry (T. J. Lowther). The movie opens with the final scene, Butch lying in a field with a Casper the Friendly Ghost mask lying beside him in the grass, a helicopter hovering, and money blowing in the breeze. Both the man and the mask have a faint smile on their faces. The rest of the movie answers the questions posed by that enigmatic opening image. In a small town somewhere in Texas, the town kids are trick or treating except for one family sitting at the kitchen table talking about Halloween. The mother, Gladys Perry (Jennifer Griffin), explains that their religious beliefs put them on a higher plane where such activities are forbidden. Just then the doorbell rings and some children outside yell "trick or treat." Gladys answers the door and explains they don't participate in the holiday because they are Jehovah's Witness. Meanwhile, Larry Billings, a prison guard, returns to the prison to get some paperwork to do at home even as the two prisoners in their cells (Butch and Terry) consult with an elderly inmate regarding where the vents go. Once Butch and Terry break through the vents, and it is clear that an escape is underway, Butch tells Terry that they will separate when they get free and reach the state line because he doesn't like Terry. And Terry agrees with that plan as their hatred for each other coalesces. Butch and Terry get past the guard at the gate in Larry's car with Larry at the wheel. Once they reach town they commandeer Larry's car and search for a new escape car. Terry is sidetracked by Gladys making breakfast. Terry breaks into the kitchen holding a gun and terrorizes her, grabbing her around the neck for a smooch. Young Philip, who has wandered in, gets on Terry's nerves so he slaps the boy, an action that further infuriates Butch and precipitates a struggle between the two. Butch asks Philip to pick up the "Pistola" and give it to him. Then Butch says to point it at him and say "stick em up," a make-believe playful act, but deadly serious, which he does. A neighbor tries to save the family but Buzz asks him to drop the rifle because he might hit the boy and the neighbor agrees, a pattern of negotiation and violence avoidance that continues throughout the movie. Butch and Terry take the boy, Philip, as a hostage and leave, still in the guard's car. At the state office of the Texas Rangers, Red Barnett (Clint Eastwood) speaks with the Governor by phone. Sally Gerber (Laura Dern), criminologist from Huntsville hired by the Governor to assist Red in matters concerning parole and escapes, introduces herself to Red as one of the team, a fact that does not sit well with Red. The Governor also loans Red's team a shiny new truck and trailer to track the escapees. The rig has lots of bells and whistles and looks suspiciously like a Campaign Headquarters on Wheels with its decorative bunting. While loading up the new trailer prior to starting the manhunt, FBI agent Bobby Lee (Bradley Whitford) is added to the team and Sally is almost left behind. Meanwhile, the escapees and their young hostage are trying to find somewhere to hide out. Terry looks for his cousin's name in a phone book while keeping an eye on Butch and threatening him. Butch responds by breaking his nose. They stop at a store for provisions and Butch asks Philip to train the gun on Terry to hold him in check while Butch shops. Terry starts to play with Philip and try to get the gun away, and resorts to intimidating Philip physically and verbally by casting aspersions on Philips manhood ("Kind a puny, ain't it?"). When Terry grabs Philip, Philip bites his hand and runs to hide in a corn field across the road, maintaining possession of the gun. Terry searches for Philip even as Butch sees his traveling companions are missing. Butch locates Philip first in the corn field and Philip returns the gun to Butch. Butch shoots Terry. As Butch and Philip get back to the car, the store owner emerges from the store with a rifle but Butch tells him to go lie on the floor of the store until they leave. As the truck and trailer head down the road Red's manhunt team learns about the sighting of the escapees. Sally tells Red they need an auxiliary roadblock because the prisoners will split up. Only one road block is set up. Red and Sally argue about her spot on the team. Red informs her that a strong back side and a sense of humor are the only prerequisites to serving on his team. Sally explains that she is not a moron, she just wants to do her job. Red says that he is in charge and takes responsibility but agrees to listen to her concerns. Butch and Philip continue on as running buddies, drinking RC Cola and getting to know each other. Butch appeals to the boy's desire to play by telling Philip that the car is a time machine and they are driving into the future. He explains gas and brake pedals and that they need to find a Ford to steal. Terry's body is found. Red's entourage continues to follow the escapees. Butch and Philip find a Ford. Butch has Philip play "like an Injun" and check whether the keys are in the ignition and whether there is a radio. Yes on both counts. While Philip relieves himself, Butch goes to a clothes line to steal some civilian clothes for himself. The farmer who owns the car and the home spots him helping himself. While the farmer runs in from his tractor, Butch jumps in the Ford and fiddles with the starter for an interminable time. The farmer nearly catches the two until Philip bites his hand and he releases his grip on the car. The manhunt team discusses whether locals should shoot if they have a clear shot. Red and Sally say no because of the boy. Butch learns that Philip's dad is gone. They realize they have some things in common: they are handsome, they like RC, and their dads ain't worth a damn. They are on their own and seek foolish destiny. Red gets to the scene of the car recovery. They pry open the trunk and find the dead guard, Larry Billings, inside. Sally barfs and Red shows a smidgeon of compassion. Butch gives Philip an alias, Buzz, so they can go to a store called Friendly's to buy skivvies, britches, rope, and duct tape. Buzz eyes a Casper costume left over from Halloween. A local cop finds the car parked by the store and waits to nab the escapees. The clerk flirts with Butch and gets a nice tip. Butch refuses to buy the Casper costume. Mr. Willits, the store manager, starts to call to report presence of Haynes but Haynes threatens him with a look. Troubles aplenty outside but Butch outmaneuvers them and stops by to pick Buzz up on way out of town. "You ain't so friendly," is Butch's take on the clerks screaming at Buzz for shoplifting the Casper costume. The two are a team. Buzz and Butch hide behind a barn while the coast clears. Butch forgives Buzz by saying that although stealing is wrong, the Casper costume theft is an exception to the rule. Buzz is embarrassed by his puny pecker (in the words of Terry). Butch looks at it and declares it good sized for a boy his age. Buzz is heartened by Butch's assessment. Red and Sally believe that Haynes (Butch) and the boy are headed for the Panhandle. Sally outlines Butch's sad life before incarceration. Mom killed herself and Daddy split. After Haynes killed a man who hurt his mom when he was just 8, he stayed clear of the law until he stole a car some years later. Haynes received an inappropriately long sentence. Sally declares that where they are going is not important but why they are going there is very important. Butch trains his navigator in the ways of map-reading. They pass a trailer and wave just for fun. Turns out it is the team of trained criminologists. The trailer does a U-turn when they spot the Casper costume. A chase ensues. The trailer and truck get separated in the process. The Governor's trailer crashes, much the worse for wear. The Governor tells Buzz's mom that the boy is OK as he smiles for the cameras. Butch lets Buzz decide what to do, whether to hoof it or stick with the car. Butch informs Buzz that he is headed for Alaska. Buzz considers the options and decides that 1500 miles is too far to walk. Supply inventory is low, just soda, gum, and half a Moon pie. The Governor wants the trailer back but Red doesn't tell him its condition. With Buzz now sporting the Casper costume, they go trick or treating even though Buzz is a Jehovah's Witness and Halloween is past. Butch tells him how it's done. They go to a woman's house way out in the country, and she says that he is too late. He missed the popcorn balls. When she sees Butch's gun, however, she changes her mind and gives them whatever she has, including money. They feast on the spoils, mustard sandwiches. Later, while Buzz sits in the car alone waiting for Butch to check out the road block, the car starts rolling. Buzz finally sorts out the brake from the accelerator and stops it. Then it happens again. A guy out with his family almost hit by the car buys their story about bad brakes and agrees to take them along in their car, enabling the pair on the lam to get through a checkpoint. The mom in the car with Butch and Buzz blesses her children out and slaps them for spilling a drink in the new car. Butch's face clouds over and he decides to have Bob let them out of the car. Then he kicks the family out with their suitcases and steals their car. The next scene is of the family approaching one of the roadblocks on foot. Red and Company are getting hungry. They find steaks and tater tots in the trailer and Red starts cooking them up. Bobby Lee tries to put the make on Sally but Red cuts it short to ask Sally how she likes her steaks cooked. Then Red sets the would-be suitor Bobby Lee straight about the mission. Butch and Buzz talk over the limitations of the Jehovah's Witness religion. Butch introduces Buzz to the fun side of American life by allowing him to ride on the car roof. Later, they stop for dinner and Butch hopes for a side order of nookie from the waitress. Buzz watches out of curiosity. When Buzz is discovered, the couple's mood is dampened. Butch and Buzz get back on the road not fully replenished. They discuss women and love. Butch and Buzz hide in a corn field to lay low, plan their journey, and catch some sleep. Buzz tells Butch he wants to return home and Butch promises to return him soon. Butch reassures him of his concern for the boy by asking him to make a list of all the stuff he wants to do, such as eat cotton candy, and says he will try to make certain he gets a chance to do some of it. Sally asks Red whether he was a sheriff when Haynes got his long sentence for stealing the car. Red said Butch's dad was a crook, bad news, and Red thought it would be better for Butch to send him away from the household to an institutional setting. Regret was in his eyes. A sharecropper, Mack (Wayne Dehart), finds Butch and Buzz in the corn and offers them a place to sleep and Butch agrees. Mack hits his grandson, Cleve (Kevin Jamal Woods), upside the head and Butch does not approve. The two families eat breakfast together the next day and get to know each other. Butch shows Cleve a gymnastic trick like skinning the cat and they practice a little. Butch plays some old 45's and invites Mack's wife, Lottie (Mary Alice), and the boys, to dance. Butch talks about growing up in a whore house watching his mama dance. Mack hears about the manhunt on the radio and the mood changes quickly: Butch threatens him to secure his silence. The farmer's family gets tied up with their mouths taped shut, and Butch is ready to kill Mack for hitting his grandson. Trust is the topic of conversation and it is clear that Buzz does not trust Butch as much as he did because of Butch's hairpin temper. Buzz shoots Butch in the gut, crying the entire time. Then he throws the gun in the well, throws the car keys on the ground, and runs away. Butch, bleeding profusely, shows mercy and leaves his pocket knife on the table so Mack and his family can use it to free themselves after he leaves. Philip crawls under a fence and runs through a field, leaving a bit of his torn costume on the fence. Butch follows him telling him he's a hero and agrees to let him drive if he will continue on as his running buddy. It is clear, however, that they have reached the end of the line. Philip climbs a tree. Butch is slowly dying from his wound but he continues to follow the boy. Butch asks Philip to go with him to Alaska and he reads the message from his dad on the back of the postcard out loud to Philip. Philip apologizes for shooting him. Butch says he was glad it was Philip who shot him and not some stranger. Butch and Philip are surrounded by cops. Shotguns abound and Bobby Lee, the FBI agent, gets out a high-powered rifle with a telescopic site and prepares to shoot Butch. Red talks to Butch via a megaphone. Negotiations begin and end with a threat to kill the boy even though the "pistola" is in the well. Gladys, Philip's mom, arrives on a helicopter and she pleads for Philip's life. Philip trick or treats the group of cops and Butch negotiates for Philip's future fun, not his own life. When Philip tries to say that his Mom lets him do a lot of great stuff, Butch is skeptical: "Don't kid a kidder, Philip." Butch makes her promise to allow him to go to fairs and trick or treat and Philip vouches for her veracity as a "real good mama." Butch asks him to walk toward the cops and yell, Trick or treat! The running buddies shake hands goodbye. Philip, still dressed as Casper the Friendly Ghost, starts to go to his mom but returns to Butch who is dying. Philip is worried they will shoot Butch. They hug and begin to walk toward the cops very slowly, hand in hand. Red walks out to talk to them but tells Bobby Lee to keep him "locked down, clean as a whistle." Red drops his gun on the ground and tells Butch to drop his gun. Butch says Pistola is gone, thanks to his partner. Butch tries to hand the postcard to Philip but Bobby Lee, looking through his scope, thinks Butch is reaching for a weapon and shoots him, a mortal wound. Buzz weeps over him. They run and grab the boy as Red looks on and winces. Red punches Bobby Lee for improper discharge of his weapon. Sally gives Bobby Lee a knee to the groin for good measure. The last scene is Butch in the field again as in the first scene. Only now it is clear that Butch is a ghost too.

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Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, and T.J. Lowther in A Perfect World (1993)

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Solidly scary 'The Strangers: Chapter 1' makes perfect use of the horror movie devices

Masked creeps from 2008 film torment young couple in a stylish, satisfying thrill ride..

Menacing attackers in masks turn up at a couple’s isolated Airbnb in “The Strangers: Chapter 1.”

Perhaps no other cinema genre is filled with as many tropes as the horror movie, to the point where the “Scream” franchise is one extended meta tribute to the “rules” of slasher films and the “Scary Movie[s]” take it even further by lampooning the satire. I’m surprised we haven’t had a “Super Scream-y Scary Movie” that takes the Easter Egging to the next level.

Now comes Renny Harlin’s “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” which has a bit of a funhouse mirror element of its own, as it bears similarities to the nasty little horror gem (and sleeper hit) “The Strangers” (2008), though the filmmakers are billing this new movie as the first of a three-part standalone trilogy and not a reboot or remake. (Judging by the smart phones used by the main characters and a scene involving FaceTime, it would appear to be a sequel, existing in the same “Strangers” universe, rather than a prequel.)

With a “Story by” credit for Bryan Bertino, who was writer-director of the original “Strangers,” and a screenplay by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, shooting on all three of the new films took place at the same time in Slovakia in the fall of 2022 — so we’re essentially getting one big slasher movie chopped (sorry) into three parts.

As for those tropes: With a nod to Jeff Foxworthy’s old “You might be a redneck …” routines, for Madelaine Petsch’s Maya and Froy Gutierrez’s Ryan, the young couple in this story, “You might be in a horror film” if …

You roll into a spooky town in the middle of nowhere in your shiny BMW and walk into a diner where everyone in the place, including the shady-looking lawmen, look at you as if you’re from outer space, what with your clean clothes and your brushed teeth and your questions about whether the menu has any vegetarian options.

On the wall in that diner: a flyer offering a reward for finding some rich city-slicker type who passed through town a while back and POOF! Disappeared just like that.
After your car mysteriously breaks down (ahem) and the creepy local garage owner (ahem) says you’ll have to wait until tomorrow before he can get a replacement part (ahem), you check into a remote Airbnb house in the middle of the woods (ahem).

This is just the tip of the ax, so to speak. (The trailer gives away more plot developments than you’ll glean from my little tidbits.) Filmed with great style by the veteran director Harlin (“Die Hard 2,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight”) and featuring strong and empathic work by Petsch (“Riverdale”) as a classic Final Girl who is very smart and resilient but makes some truly terrible decisions in the clutch, “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is a well-paced, 91-minute thrill ride that provides a steady helping of jump scares while ending on a note that has us eagerly anticipating the next chapters in the saga.

Maya (Madelaine Petsch) doesn’t feel safe in her overnight lodging in “The Strangers: Chapter 1.”

Even though we’re deeply familiar with nearly every beat, that very familiarity is what makes it so fun. (I mean, come on Maya, you’re going to take a long shower after it’s been clearly established there’s danger lurking just outside or maybe even inside the cabin? Come ON, girl!)

Maya and Ryan are celebrating their fifth anniversary as a couple and are on the third day of a road trip (Maya hopes to clinch a high-paying, big-city job) when they take a detour to the small town of Venus, Oregon, stop at that diner and wind up spending the night at that Airbnb — a hunter’s home deep in the woods with a coop of clucking chickens, an ominous-looking shed out back and an interior design in the main house that practically screams, “Slasher Movie Digest.”

‘Abigail': When the victims aren’t exploding, the vampire story is meandering

They’re just settling in when there’s a loud pounding on the door, and there’s a girl standing in the dark on the porch and asking, “Is Tamara here?” She’ll return, more than once, before the night is over. After the second knock at the cabin, Maya and Ryan should have considered taking their chances in the woods.

It’s not long before the methodically menacing and mostly silent trio of Man in the Mask, Dollface and Pin-Up Girl we met in the first “Strangers” film are tormenting this innocent couple for seemingly no reason. In a pair of elegantly chilling sequences (the editing in this film is superb), Maya and Ryan fight for their lives against the needle-drop background of first “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues and later “The Best of Times” by Styx. You’ll never think of those classic rock tunes in the same way again.

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Still from Kinds of Kindness, with close-ups of (left to right) Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe

Kinds of Kindness review – sex, death and Emma Stone in Lanthimos’s disturbing triptych

Cannes film festival Yorgos Lanthimos reinforces how the universe keeps on doing the same awful things with a multistranded yarn starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons

P erhaps it’s just the one kind of unkindness: the same recurring kind of selfishness, delusion and despair. Yorgos Lanthimos’s unnerving and amusing new film arrives in Cannes less than a year after the release of his Oscar-winning Alasdair Gray adaptation Poor Things . It is a macabre, absurdist triptych: three stories or three narrative variations on a theme, set in and around modern-day New Orleans.

An office worker finally revolts against the intimate tyranny exerted over him by his overbearing boss. A police officer is disturbed when his marine-biologist wife returns home after months of being stranded on a desert island, and suspects she has been replaced by a double. Two cult members search for a young woman believed to have the power to raise the dead.

Lanthimos uses repertory casting – and part of the film’s eerie joke effect, the effect of seeing the universe mysteriously doing the same awful things over and over, is in witnessing the same actors repeatedly showing up. Jesse Plemons , Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mamoudou Athie, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau and Joe Alwyn are each given a trio of roles, some intriguingly similar to each other, others quite different. Plemons is often stolid and unhappy. Stone is fierce and capable but sometimes vulnerable and sexual. Dafoe, of course, can’t help being the charismatic authority figure.

And what is even more unsettling is to see the same tropes, images and motifs come up: overeating, undereating; steak, chocolate, the same types of food. Dafoe’s overbearing executive Raymond gives Plemons’s unhappy underling Robert specific instructions on what to eat: “Because there’s nothing more ridiculous than skinniness on a man.” There are hospitals, ambulances, cops; places and people that mean unhappy submission to authority. Women get pregnant, and suffer miscarriages. People try to prove love by submitting to abuse and coercive control. There are recurring dreams whose contents are unsettlingly duplicated in waking existence. And perhaps most startlingly, there is sex, governed by a creepy roofie aesthetic. People keep drugging each other; Lanthimos keeps showing us unconscious naked women. And yet the men are the more contemptible and unattractive.

This is an uncanny world that looks like ours but really isn’t; like Emma Stone’s marine-biologist character, it has been perhaps replaced with a near-perfect copy by a malign unseen hand. Doubles and twins are another motif. And Lanthimos punctuates the bizarre recognition moments with a jarring, plinking piano key. The weirdness mosaic isn’t exactly like the Short Cuts of Robert Altman, who gave us a more recognisably human array of situations, nor is it exactly like the ensemble in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, although Plemons’s cop has the same morose quality as John C Reilly’s officer in that film. The strangeness and fear are more like Charlie Kaufman’s and John Frankenheimer’s horror in seeing something off, something wrong – giveaway hints of a conspiracy or a higher truth.

The effect of it all is elegant and overwhelmingly stylish, yet maybe there’s not a superabundance of substance to go with the style. Kinds of Kindness feels heavier and longer than I expected, as if reaching for a meaningful resolution that might not be there. Yet absence and loss is perhaps the whole point.

Cannes 2024
Cannes film festival
Drama films
Yorgos Lanthimos
Jesse Plemons

A Raunchy Comedy About … Pregnancy?

Babes isn’t perfect, but its refreshing candor still feels like an R-rated public service.

Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau in “Babes”

Preparing a birth plan requires considering the many things that could go wrong during childbirth—or, in the best-case scenario of everything proceeding as normal, how you might attempt to mitigate earth-shattering pain. In Babes , a new comedy about two best friends navigating pregnancy and the delirium of postpartum life, one woman is determined to approach her birth plan differently. Early in her pregnancy, Eden (played by Ilana Glazer) announces that she’d like to bring a little joy into a process that’s otherwise unsettling and clinical. Wanting the day of delivery to feel more like a costume party, she decides to call it “Eden’s Prom Birth Extravaganza.”

This scene, one of many that take place in her obstetrician’s office, captures the most compelling part of Babes : its attention to, and irreverence toward, the unglamorous specifics of pregnancy. The film throws the horrors, confusion, and wonders of pregnancy into a raunchy comedy that revels in gross-out bodily humor. There are no graphic Dead Ringers –like visuals, but discussions leave little to the imagination: At the start of the film, Eden’s best friend, Dawn (Michelle Buteau), is close to the end of her second pregnancy. Dawn asks Eden to check if she’s started dilating. Crouching to take a look under her friend’s dress, a wide-eyed Eden informs her, “Your vagina looks like it’s yawning.”

Babes , which was directed by Pamela Adlon , is the product of an all-star team: Adlon co-created and starred in Better Things , a remarkable, offbeat FX series about a single mother trying to make it in Hollywood. The film’s screenplay comes from television heavyweights too—it was co-written by Glazer, who co-created Broad City , and Josh Rabinowitz, a consulting producer on that series who also worked on The Carmichael Show and Ramy . And Buteau, a comedian, recently starred in Survival of the Thickest , an endearing coming-of-age series she co-created. In theory, a pregnancy raunch-com coming from this crew should’ve been a riotous but poignant romp. Babes doesn’t quite get there. The film tries to balance its lighter fare with weightier themes—aging out of friendships once children come into play, the guilt that can accompany postpartum depression, the insularity of the nuclear family. That’s a tall order, and Babes never really reconciles the gravity of Dawn and Eden’s growing distance from each other with the comedic territory where its two stars are clearly more comfortable.

The film’s surplus of toilet humor is admittedly not for me. (Neither was the much-discussed food-poisoning debacle in Bridesmaids .) Still, there’s something charming about how Babes exaggerates the indignity of losing control over one’s body: When Dawn is upset about being unable to produce milk after her daughter is born, she calls in a lactation consultant who ends up hawking “Her Majesty,” a terrifying contraption that looks disturbingly similar to an HVAC machine. There are mushroom trips, a gag involving Eden trying out multiple pregnancy tests, and a dreamlike sequence featuring projectile breast milk—and in these wacky scenes, Glazer and Buteau are a truly dynamic duo, leaning into the film’s over-the-top physical comedy without hesitation.

Read: American motherhood

Where Babes falters is the comedown. Eden’s pregnancy is the result of a one-night stand, and the father, for reasons I won’t spoil, isn’t in the picture. Faced with the prospect of raising a child alone in her fourth-floor walk-up, Eden chooses to go through with her pregnancy. This is a screwball comedy set in a version of New York City where she can afford a massive, light-filled apartment without family support, so maybe not everything needs to make sense. But Eden is notably flighty, and visibly horrified by the messiness of Dawn’s childbirth; still, she pitches headfirst into having a child without much thought. The unexplained decision ends up somehow feeling even less earned than the unplanned pregnancies of the Judd Apatow cinematic universe.

Dawn, for her part, seems baffled by—and later resentful of—Eden’s decision, an early indication that the pregnancy will challenge the women’s already-changing relationship. Sustaining close friendships in adulthood, especially as a parent, can be incredibly challenging—and because the strain of motherhood doesn’t end with labor, Babes brings the reality of raising children in the United States into sharp focus. Through a series of calamitous events that unfold in Dawn’s household, the film portrays the effects of policy decisions that have made the U.S. a needlessly difficult place to have kids . Child-care woes keep Dawn away from work, and from the doctor’s appointments where Eden desperately wants her support. Nothing she does—for herself or for her family—ever feels like enough. “ Exhausted actually doesn’t even cover it,” Dawn says in a fight with Eden, before comparing raising two youg children to “an endless loop of other people’s needs.”

Through these bittersweet observations, Glazer and Buteau still bring plenty of charm. The actors are a playful pairing, building on each other’s comedic inclinations in a way that sometimes makes Babes feel like a more grown-up Broad City . Watching the moment when Dawn seems perplexed by Eden’s decision to go through with the pregnancy, I was immediately reminded of the classic Broad City scene in which Glazer’s 27-year-old character reacts to the idea of getting married by saying, “What am I, a child bride?” Dawn isn’t there to witness some of the shocking things that Eden later learns about pregnancy—like the size of the needle used in an amniocentesis, or the fact that some pregnancies stretch past the 40-week mark. But when the time finally comes for Eden’s Prom Birth Extravaganza, it’s Dawn who commiserates with her about the injustice of having to push her placenta out too: “They don’t tell you about this part.” It’s true—that detail tends to get left out of the storybook ending in which no one needs stitches. Babes isn’t perfect, but its refreshing candor still feels like an R-rated public service.

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COMMENTS

A Perfect World movie review & film summary (1993)
"A Perfect World" contains a prison break, the taking of a hostage, a chase across Texas, two murders, various robberies, and a final confrontation between a fugitive and a lawman. It is not really about any of those things, however. It's deeper and more interesting than that. It's about the true nature of violence and about how the child is father to the man.
A Perfect World (1993)
A Perfect World: Directed by Clint Eastwood. With Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther. A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
A Perfect World
Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/24 Full Review matthias s "A Perfect World" is a charming flick that skillfully weaves a tale of an unlikely bond between Kevin Costner's escaped ...
A Perfect World (1993)
Continuing my plan to watch every Kevin Costner movie in order, I come to 1993's A Perfect World. Plot In A Paragraph: Butch Haynes (KC) escapes from prison and kidnaps a young boy (T.J. Lowther) In hot pursuit is a Texas Ranger, Red Garrett (Clint Eastwood) A Perfect World is not a great movie, it's an underrated masterpiece that has somehow slipped through the cracks, despite great reviews ...
A Perfect World
Generally Favorable Based on 24 Critic Reviews. 71. 71% Positive 17 Reviews. 29% Mixed 7 Reviews. 0% Negative 0 Reviews. All Reviews; ... A Perfect World is one of the Academy Award-winning actor-director's most unexpected, most satisfying films. ... Clint Eastwood & Kevin Costner are perfect in this movie. One of the best thrillers ever. Read ...
A Perfect World
A Perfect World is a 1993 American thriller crime drama film directed by Clint Eastwood.It stars Kevin Costner as an escaped convict who takes a young boy (T. J. Lowther) hostage and attempts to escape on the road with the child.Eastwood co-stars as a Texas Ranger in pursuit of the convict.. Though the film was not a box-office success in North America and grossed only $31 million for its ...
A Perfect World; Where Destiny Is Sad and Scars Never Heal
"A Perfect World," a deeply felt, deceptively simple film that marks the high point of Mr. Eastwood's directing career thus far, could never be mistaken for a young man's movie.
A Perfect World
Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 8, 2012. Tells the tale of an escaped convict and his eight-year-old hostage and, in the process, considers the cycles of disappointment wrought on sons by ...
A Perfect World (1993)
The setup is such familiar material that you think the story is going to be flat and fast. But the screenplay by John Lee Hancock goes deep. And the direction by Clint Eastwood finds strange, quiet moments of perfect truth in the story. A deeply felt, deceptively simple film that marks the high point of Mr. Eastwood's directing career thus far.
A Perfect World (1993)
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
Why 'A Perfect World' Is Clint Eastwood's Most Underrated Movie
Compared to his other work, 1993's A Perfect World is somewhat of an anomaly. Eastwood has nearly forty directorial credits to his name and gravitates toward westerns, action films, and thrillers.
A Perfect World (1993)
A Perfect World is probably the most moving of the three films, with the wonderful complexity of Kevin Costner's performance as the well-meaning but emotionally combustible Butch Haynes, playing off a touchingly naturalistic performance by child-actor T.J. Lowther as his entranced hostage, Phillip Perry. The film compellingly contrasts the ...
‎A Perfect World (1993) directed by Clint Eastwood • Reviews, film
A Perfect World is Eastwood's darkest timeline. The follow up to his masterpiece and crowning achievement Unforgiven, it continues his exploration of American violence through classic genre filmmaking. This time he is taking on the "ill-fated road movie" trope instead of the Western and he destroys it like a linebacker pulverizing a tackling dummy.
A Perfect World
A Perfect World. By Peter Travers. November 24, 1993. Clint Eastwood, as Texas Ranger Red Garnett, teams up with Kevin Costner, as escaped convict Butch Haynes, for a gripping manhunt circa 1963 ...
A Perfect World Review
15. Original Title: A Perfect World. Even before the glorius triumph of of Unforgiven, a palpable sense of expectation greeted any project directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Add to the mix ...
A Perfect World 1993, directed by Clint Eastwood
Among the familiar stuff, however, there are very fine moments. It's just a pity that Costner never really comes alive. That said, the director manages mostly to avoid the enormous maudlin ...
A Perfect World
A Perfect World is often overlooked, which is a shame as it is a fine piece of work. Clint Eastwood s direction is pretty much spot on throughout, and the film wants only the injection of a little pace in the middle to make it near perfect.
A Perfect World
Two outlaws escape prison and take a little boy hostage as protection. In the process, one of the outlaws becomes a father figure to the boy.If you're just s...
A PERFECT WORLD
The film quality is good, but in A PERFECT WORLD, good cinematography helps very little. Now more than ever we're bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content.
A Perfect World (Film)
A Perfect World is a 1993 drama directed by Clint Eastwood, written by John Lee Hancock, and starring Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Laura Dern, Keith Szarabajka, T.J. Lowther, and Bradley Whitford.. In Texas, on Halloween of 1963, Butch Haynes and Terry Pugh escape from prison. They end up in the house of Gladys Perry, a deeply religious housewife, and in order to escape safely, they take Gladys ...
Watch A Perfect World (1993) Full Movie Online
After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and his partner Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) kidnap a young boy, Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), and flee across Texas. As they travel together, Butch and Phillip discover common bonds and suffer the abuses of the outside "Perfect World". In pursuit is Texas Ranger "Red" Garnett (Clint Eastwood) and ...
Denzel Washington's Lost Role In 2023 Thriller Prevented A Perfect 30
Leave the World Behind would have reunited Denzel Washington with Julia Roberts, who plays Amanda Sandford in the Netflix movie, after they first shared the screen in the 1993 legal thriller The Pelican Brief.Serving as Alan J. Pakula's penultimate film before his death in 1998, The Pelican Brief is a film adaptation of John Grisham's 1992 novel about a law student named Darby Shaw (Roberts ...
Roger Corman, the B-movie legend who launched A-list careers ...
The movies Corman willed into being are their own loopy, glorious world of teenage cavemen, X-ray eyes and humanoids from the deep. His 300-some movies barely even rose to the level of camp.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Has The Perfect Blueprint For an Unexpected Disney World
Kingdom Hearts 4 has potential to explore new Disney worlds, with rumors of a possible Star Wars inclusion. A Bug's Life could offer a unique and charming world for Kingdom Hearts 4, drawing ...
'Three Kilometers To The End Of The World' Review: An ...
Parvu is careful to show the complexity of these people as well as of their weave of betrayals, mistakes and wrongdoing. Even Zentov (Richard Bovnoczki), to whom bribes and threats are everyday ...
A Perfect World (1993)
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues. After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and his partner Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) kidnap a young boy, Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), and flee across Texas. As ...
'The Strangers: Chapter 1' review: Solidly scary shocker makes perfect
Solidly scary 'The Strangers: Chapter 1' makes perfect use of the horror movie devices Masked creeps from 2008 film torment young couple in a stylish, satisfying thrill ride.
Family friendly movie reviews: 'IF' and 'Thelma the Unicorn
Director John Krasinski's star-studded movie "IF" follows a grieving tween named Bea who discovers the world is full of cast-off imaginary friends. "Thelma the Unicorn" has to lie to gain fame.
Kinds of Kindness review
This is an uncanny world that looks like ours but really isn't; like Emma Stone's marine-biologist character, it has been perhaps replaced with a near-perfect copy by a malign unseen hand ...
"Babes" Channels the Humor—And Misery—Of Pregnancy
Babes isn't perfect, but its refreshing candor still feels like an R-rated public service. By Hannah Giorgis. Neon. May 18, 2024, 8 AM ET. Share. Save.

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