A PERFECT WORLD
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 8.5
Date Released: 11/24/93 Running Length: 2:18 Rated: PG-13 (Language, violence, sexual situations, mature themes)
Starring: Kevin Costner, T. J. Lowther, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern Director: Clint Eastwood Producer: Mark Johnson and David Valdes Screenplay: John Lee Hancock Music: Lennie Niehaus Released by Warner Brothers
If you feel it necessary to classify movies, A PERFECT WORLD may be difficult to pigeonhole. On the surface, this might seem like a buddy movie crossed with a road picture, but there's a depth that defies anything normally found in either genre. What starts out looking like a good old Clint Eastwood cops-and-robbers tale turns into something completely unexpected.
Halloween night in 1963 starts out as any October 31st for eight-year old Phillip Perry (T. J. Lowther), with his mother, a devout Jehovah's Witness, refusing to let him go trick-or-treating. In fact, that's not the only thing on the boy's list of "forbidden items." He can't celebrate Christmas, has never eaten cotton candy, and hasn't ridden a roller coaster. Life seems a little dull, until Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) bursts into his kitchen. Recently escaped from prison, Butch is in need of a hostage, and Phillip happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Strangely, the boy instinctively trusts Butch, and goes along meekly. The ride starts out a little bumpy, with Butch's sadistic fellow escapee attempting to molest the hostage--a situation that Butch sorts out permanently. Then, when it's only the two of them, Butch and Philip head across Texas with Police chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) and his band of Rangers in pursuit.
Those who understand the psychology of hostage situations are aware of the bond that develops between captive and captor. The case presented in A PERFECT WORLD, however, is far from normal, even for these circumstances. The connection between Kevin Costner's Butch and T. J. Lowther's Phillip isn't something nebulous, but a father-and-son-like relationship that profoundly affects both of them. Once they're together, neither of them can be the same--not spiritually, physically, or morally.
This relationship is the centerpiece of A PERFECT WORLD, and director Clint Eastwood allows it to play out at the leisurely pace necessary for it to achieve its ultimate depth and power. There are a few brief action scenes punctuating the drama, but this is not a movie for the viewer who craves car chases and shootouts.
On the surface, the scenes featuring Eastwood appear largely superfluous and, while they aren't strictly necessary to the plot, they nevertheless serve an important purpose. A PERFECT WORLD wouldn't be best served by presenting the Butch/Phillip sequences without interruption. The pacing would be too slow; the tone too somber. The inclusion of a storyline focusing on Butch's pursuers allows for a few more characters, an opportunity or two of comic relief, and a subplot that ties a few things together a little too neatly.
Like his star, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood is a better director than actor. In A PERFECT WORLD, he again wears both hats, although his on-screen appearances are limited. Eastwood the actor has two modes--the cynical tough guy and the sensitive tough guy, both of which are on display here (the former more often than the latter). He's in fine form, but it's his behind-the-scenes work that really deserves the credit. A PERFECT WORLD has its moments of manipulation, but they are masterfully subtle. With films like THE JOY LUCK CLUB, we feel the strings being tugged; such is not the case with this movie.
Kevin Costner is an unusual actor--his performances are as inconstant as his choices of films. For every DANCES WITH WOLVES, there's a THE BODYGUARD. His job in A PERFECT WORLD, however, is something to take pride in. Perhaps Eastwood deserves a share of the credit, but Costner develops a credible character who comes across as both believable and sympathetic despite his obvious criminal nature. The portrayal eclipses the portrayer, which is always a good sign.
Laura Dern is wasted. I can only assume her inclusion is an attempt to present a strong-willed, intelligent woman as a foil for Clint Eastwood, but her ability is rarely shown and never developed. Ms. Dern does a surprisingly good job with what little material she has, but her presence isn't necessary, and it adds little.
A PERFECT WORLD is evidence that Hollywood is still capable of producing the kinds of moving, intelligent movies that many people today believe to be solely the province of independent film makers. This picture is good enough to stand with THE PIANO and THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, rightfully claiming to offer as much as they do. The characters here have depth and breadth, and the themes and relationships are as complex as in any of the year's best offerings.
Clint Eastwood won an Oscar for directing UNFORGIVEN, and A PERFECT WORLD shows that the wellspring of talent is still bubbling energetically. May it never run dry.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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