RETURN TO PARADISE
Reviewed by Harvey Karten, Ph.D. Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Propaganda Films Director: Joseph Ruben Writer: Wesley Strick, Bruce Robinson Cast: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix, Jada Pinkett Smith
When people lie, cheat, steal, even kill, they will either deny that they committed these transgressions or will make excuses for the iniquities. Some people are psychotic and are able to do dastardly deeds without feeling a twinge of guilt. Most of us, though, are made cowards by our conscience. If the society does not catch up with us, we punish outselves, unable even to look ourselves in the mirror. How do we protect ourselves from these unfortunate feelings? We rationalize. We do what we can to justify our bad conduct to ourselves and to others. "Return to Paradise" is the story of two young men--regular, fun guys--who must make a moral choice. Do they surrender three, maybe six years of their youth in order to save the life of a friend? Or do they turn their backs on him and spend that time enjoying their careers, their girls friends, their comfortable lives in America--perhaps unable for the rest of their lives to face themselves?
To get a broader picture of the dilemma, take a quick look at one of the great stories penned in the 20th century about our ability and willingness to rationalize. In Friedrich Duerrenmatt's play, "The Visit," an old and very rich woman, Clara Zachanassian, revists the town of her youth to take revenge on Anton Schill, who made her pregnant and then abandoned her. She offers all the people of this Central European village a substantial sum of money if they would surrender to her the life of Anton Schill. At first the townspeople consider the notion immoral and preposterous, but they are inevitably corrupted. When they start buying things on credit in anticipation of the money they will get, they rationalize their pathetic behavior by saying that Schill deserves his fate.
Now look at how two men in "Return to Paradise" decide how to excuse themselves should they turn their backs on their friend and how, in addition, an appealing woman vindicates herself for her own frauds and deceptions. Sheriff (Vince Vaughn), Tony (David Conrad) and their buddy Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix) are three happy-go-lucky guys in their twenties who are enjoying the beaches, waters, vegetation and women of Malaysia's Penang region. They smoke hashish regularly, and, hale fellows that they are, they have a couple of misadventures. At one point, they are offered an aphrodisiac by a fast-talking Malaysian woman which turns out to be a rhino horn, and they barely escape with their lives from a small gang of local toughs. Just after Tony and Sheriff board a plane to go back to New York, Lewis, who stays behind to work on a new project, is arrested for possession of 104 grams of hashish. He is indicted for dealing--although the weed was strictly for personal use--and under Malaysia's stric anti-drug laws is sentenced to hang. That Asian country's attorney general makes a deal: if Lewis's two friends return to Malaysia to take responsibility for their part in the ownership of hashish, Lewis's life would be spared, though Tony and Sheriff would have to spend three years in jail. If only one of the two friends returns, Lewis's life would still be spared but the buddy would have to spend six years in jail.
"Return to Paradise" is in no way a sterile, academic exercise in Philosophy 105: Ethics. Joseph Ruben directs Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson's screenplay with a tight hand, keeping the tension on a steady keel and unleashing a series of clever twists that keep the audience guessing about Lewis's future. Reynaldo Villalobos's camerawork delivers the ambiance of a section of the world that is indeed a tropical paradise, contrasting the lush vegetation and colorfully relaxed city atmosphere with the stark, dank span of the local penitentiary.
At first Tony is determined to return to save his friend even while Lewis is obstinate about keeping his stable, though dead-end, life in Brooklyn undisturbed. Their ultimate decision is inspired by the actions of a woman who represents herself as Lewis's American lawyer, Beth Eastern (Anne Heche), who appears willing to do anything to save the imprisoned man's life. She must contend with the scheme of a zealous reporter, M.J. (Jada Pinkett-Smith), who is determined to break a story about Malaysia's draconian system of justice--a story which Beth believes would infuriate the Malaysian society and have an adverse effect on her client. She will use money and sexual favors to persuade the two young men to go back to the Far East to face at least three years in a prison that would make Attica look like a country club. She has no compunctions about lying--insisting that this third-world dungeon allows residents an ample supply of rice and is free from the threat of violence by the guards. And as she rationalizes her deceitful maneuvers, the young men do likewise, acquitting themselves of accountability should they decide to turn their backs on Lewis.
While "Return to Paradise" headlines several surprises, the grandest revelation is Anne Heche. Who would have imagined her depth, judging by her hack performance in the lame comedy, "Six Days, Seven Nights" and her waxen-faced, two-dimensional portrayal in "Wag the Dog"? It took a drama of global import and moral gravity to bring out the full range of her talents, and in this she is well supported by the three men, especially by the strong appearance of Vince Vaughn as a posturing Brooklynite whose moral standards get a quick turnaround from his relationship with a fiercely determined woman.
We in the audience cannot help leaving the theater pondering what we would do in this situation. And remember that you'll not know your response unless and until you are actually faced by the severe predicament. Unfortunately, "Return to Paradise" undercuts an otherwise taut picture by a contrived ending, a conclusion which weakens the entire ethical temper of the story. It would be unforgiveable to give away this resolution--a shocker that would have let the condemned man's pals off the hook if they chose to remain in New York. Go back a sec to Duerrenmatt's "The Visit." In the play, the townspeople must face their guilt in condemning one of their own to death. In a movie version starring Ingrid Bergman, however, the old woman gives her enemy his freedom. That done, couldn't the townspeople have said, "We knew all along that you would not carry out the death threat. That is why we felt free to spend the money we were to receive from you." Rationalization is a powerful defense indeed.
Rated R. Running time: 105 minutes. (C) Harvey Karten 1998
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