Silly and suspenseful—a great summer movie with twists and a surprising amount of laughs. Self-aware characters making in-jokes about the movie they're in may turn off some, but I enjoyed trying to figure out where the twist was going as the characters talk about red herrings, Act 2 reveals and provide some satisfying foreshadowing. Short and sweet with the rest: the cast does its job admirably and the scenery is breathtaking. Don't go in with unreasonable expectations of something Hitchcock caliber and you're bound to be entertained.… Expand

Okay, so the twist is predictable, but the movie is still tons of fun.

Georgia was the perfect getaway for the men in John Boorman's "Deliverance", or so they thought, as the naive suburbanites first set down their canoes on the Chattoga River. Back in the shanty town, the moviegoer sees a class struggle in the making when they first meet the local residents. But it's just a matter of time before Bobby(Ned Beatty), the surly one, is put in his place. The city slicker soon rues the moment he tells a hillbilly, "I like your hat." In "A Perfect Getaway", the outsiders seek their deliverance from the Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai. This time it's newlyweds(played by Steve Zahn and Milla Jonovich), a screenwriter and his blushing bride who go rural, and encounter, not just the islanders, but stateside couples of a lesser pedigree, which creates the same class struggle found in the Boorman film. Seemingly out of their elements, Cliff and Cydney make the classic mistake of befriending the wrong people, a thriller staple, but the filmmaker never goes on automatic pilot; he composes with soft focus photography to give a sense of ambiguity at key moments whenever both couples are within the same frame. Whereas in "Deliverance", the person of perceived lower class asserts his dominance by violating Bobby("squeal like a pig") in the woods, therefore transforming class struggle into class warfare: Gina(Kiele Sanchez), a Georgian just like the hicks in the Boorman film, intimidates Cliff and Cydney when the country woman processes a goat into food, where she violates the animal(that Nick, played by Timothy Olyphant, had slain) with her hands for its innards. Like a natural born killer, she shows no remorse. But are Cliff and Cydney really intimidated? Is there a social hierarchy? In "A Perfect Getaway", the screenwriter and his wife, unlike the four men in the 1972 film starring Burt Reynolds, get their deliverance not just from the primitive setting, but from each other, as well.… Expand

I don't get the great reviews for this movie. Apparently if you like David Twohy's previous work (which I do), you must feel compelled to look upon this more favorably. What was so special about it, or that you hadn't seen before...multiple times? Almost any episode of Lost has better Hawaiian scenery, as well as better plot twists to boot. Nick's character was the only one that was even remotely memorable, no one else was particularly charismatic, attractive (this has to be the least number of bikinis in a beach movie ever), or really even worth a second thought. The twist was cute, and while it wasn't exactly expected, you obviously knew something was going to happen, and since it wasn't set up well at all, it really wasn't a surprise (nor really made an ounce of sense). The box office numbers got this one a lot more correct than the metacritic scores. This could have been a Sunday night movie of the week on NBC, and it still would have had low ratings.… Expand

A good time at the movies. Glad I saw it at the theater too.

Spoiler Alert.... Spoiler Alert.... Spoiler Alert.... Wow, the first 11 user votes have got to be from shills. Add to that Roger Ebert who says the film "only seems to cheat". What?!?! Is he an independant critic or a paid advertisement? He is smarter than that... This film is the very example of cheating. Similar to overuse of the "dream sequence", where the audience is suckered into believing some incredible plot line only to find out it was all a dream, this movie feeds you hook line and sinker with no possible misreading or "other explanation" behind the reveal. By complete trickery we are lead to believe that the actual killers could not POSSIBLY be the actual killers. The only way to justify this trickery is for us as the audience to understand, unequivocally, from the beginning, that the whole movie is a play on itself. In my opinion we are unaware until the tricks are revealed. Which means that the movie completely relies on trickery. We catch a few quirky clues early on like the red snapper joke and some references to screen writing, but that is not enough for us to understand that the whole thing is a farce. This could have been a great movie if presented as farce. IMO the farce isn't completely revealed until the lead realizes his hands are so mangled he can't hold a gun. Now that's funny. Why not clue us in on that early enough that it gets a good laugh instead of a huge sigh? Then we find out that the killers were putting on a great act. That's fine. But we the viewers, from the omniscient point of view we are given, should have known it was an act. Instead we were deliberately tricked. Omniscience and trickery are mutually exclusive. If we see everything then we can't be tricked. But we are. We are deliberately shown some things that are not true. It is OK to mislead the audience by selectively showing or not showing certain elements, but when the omniscient viewer sees something that is patently false in order to trick him/her...this is bad storytelling. This type of trickery is a textbook no-no and for good reason. This is an insult to the reader/viewer and must be done with great care. There is no care here in my opinion, only insult. I give the 3 just for the scenery which is beautiful. The rest is a disaster.… Expand

Better than expected! Beautiful scenery, engaging characters, danger and suspense. It was fun trying to sort through the false clues and identify the real killers. Although some may find the twist predictable, the ending still offers some surprises. Check it out!

Slick, smart, aesthetically pleasing (that later chase sequence...powerfully cut...reminiscent of the famous running scene from _The Seven samurai!). Really, a rarity in horror/suspense films, a film that shoots for something other than gore and shock. Even a compelling deep psychological angle.... I can't say enough about this surprisingly engaging film! I encourage people to get out there and see this film; in the wake of crap like Transformers and G.I. Joe, which make a quatrillion dollars, uncommonly inteligent (and entertaining) films like this need our support!… Expand

Yeah, Hawaii is beautiful…. But shoot I could see that on the Discovery channel at home. All I got to say is the director is awful, and the screenplay and dialog are total crap. More than an embarrassment he should feel shame for this drivel. This movie is nonsensical, shameless, and more than anything: just plain stupid.

This movie is FUN!!! And yes, it's been done before but rarely with this much glee! The thing that makes it so damn enjoyable is seeing Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant & Milla Jovovich sink their teeth into roles that show they can ACT THEIR A**ES OFF. I mean, I got goosebumps in the latter third of the film with all the shifts and shadings their characters go through. And Kiele Sanchez's goat gutting scene is a star making turn in and of itself! It's a great guilty pleasure and beats the hell out that Harry Potter snore-fest thingy in the other theater!… Expand

Wow. Metacritic really let me down on this one. I guessed the twist in this movie in the first 5 minutes. The movie gets down right comical at the end. One of the user reviews comparing something to the The Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa is turning over in his grave with that comment. Overall, if you're looking for a really stupid, comical, bad movie...Then, I'd jump at this one. Otherwise, Red Box it for a $1.… Expand

I completely agree with Mike Mike, below. What was Roger Ebert thinking when he wrote that review!? Anyone who couldn't see where this was headed from about the 8 minute mark was paying more attention to their popcorn than the movie. As I watched this, I actually pondered the possibility that, as a society, our capacity for analysis and critical thought must have deteriorated to the point where even cliches seem fresh and surprising. There's no need to alert people to spoilers here. The movie is exactly what you think it will be.… Expand

I thought it was well acted and the story line was interesting. I do not usually see this type of movie and was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this movie.

One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Probably more like an 8. But you all giving it a 1 or 3 need shot. Yes, I considered them to be the killers even before I started watching, but you just don't know for sure. You're guessing thru 2/3 of the movie... you're thinkin well it could be one of 3 couples and any of them really won't be a huge surprise, but that doesnt make it a bad movie. I'm thinking the only reason some on here (mikemike) give this movie a bad rating is because they're thinking it needs more of a twist. For me the big twist was her (Jovovich) turning on her partner at the end. With the overwhelming fill of plot twisting movies out, who's not going to consider the main characters as the killers...duh! That was the intention, so as if to try triple reverse psychology on you. And I feel it works good. There's no way anyone could lock it in as them being the killers until the videocam scene. Unless ofcourse someone gave you a hint before you watched it. And there's no way you could rule out the other couples. If it would've turned out as the other couple as the killers, some of you would still be retorting the same ole cries and IMHO, can't appreciate a good movie.… Expand

///Question/// how does it make it a bad movie if we viewers suspect them as the killer??? it doesnt mean they are. it doesn't rule out the others. I think it leaves you guessing thru 99% of it. Heck, I suspected them before it even started. I still think its a Great thriller movie. Dont' let others on here ruin it for ya. Watch it yourself.

The twists were completely ridiculous. The scenes which made you jump were well done, but that's about it!

Wow, on this one the critics are seriously disconnected from reality. The setting and the two male lead characters, played by Olyphant and Zhan, were the best parts of this movie. The script was horrible, with the twist coming very cheaply and at the expense of earlier contradicting lines and scenes (don't want to spoil it, but the twist doesn't work at all - it is actually totally laughable). If you want this movie to make sense, fall head first from over 30 feet onto some concrete, and quickly hit the play button. Add to that that the two female leads couldn't act straight - both putting on non-native accents and it showed. Shocked that anyone thought this was an acceptable movie. Avoid.… Expand

Worst Movie of 2009. DO NOT SEE EVER. Laughably bad. NO nudity but teased throughout. Not much profanity either. Weak R rating. This is not horror.

A pleasant surprise. Yes, you can guess most of the plot twists well in advance, and yes, some of the 'twists' defy logic. But it's decently acted, well shot in a beautiful setting, and doesn't take itself TOO seriously. David Twohy is a skilled screenwriter and director. Olyphant does a really good job with his role; all the actors are decent. What can I say? -- This one kind of snuck up on me and was quite enjoyable, when all is said and done.… Expand

[***SPOILER***] Two minutes. That's how long into the film I was when I knew who the killers were. Movies with a "twist" need to be a lot smarter than this. It was obvious to me during the scene in the jeep at the beginning that they were getting their stories straight. Add to that the fact that the other two couples are SO obviously being portrayed in a way to make you suspect them. I'm sorry, a few tattoos and wild hair do not a killer make. Any time you'd start to maybe think that you were being misled, there would be some more obvious double-sided dialogue between Cliff and Sydney. That being said, the movie was decent enough to watch. The cast is great and Olyphant really carries the movie. So, decent popcorn fare, but not at all suspenseful. I'd expect much better from the guy who gave us Pitch Black.… Expand

A few good twists in this one keep you guessing. It certainly has some intense moments, great pace and often exciting. The acting is fine, but there are a few too many holes in the plot.

I simply CANNOT understand what engaged the people who rated this movie highly. OK -- maybe the scenery is beautiful -- which it is. The storyline is very superficial, though, and the movie ends with a "twist" that transpires so artificially that it negates any other interesting things of the movie. Two thumbs down, but it did remind me that my trip to Hawaii is long overdue.

I was surprised at how much I liked it. It was clever, fun, and I liked all the performers. The twist is not a cheat, but it doesn't undermine the suspense, either. This is definitely worth seeing.

i feel stupid cause apparently im the only 1 who didn't figure out the twist right away and since gina was my favorite character haha but i had a fun time watching the movie and loved the twist! i loved how i thought of Sydney as a sweet girl then when the twist comes i think of her as a total bad a**! and i love the part where the surfer guys catch cliff in his lie about the drugs... very enjoyable movie!!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok, so it's not exactly a normal horror film. As a matter of fact it isn't really scary. But this film works well and produces some epic relentless action in the final 30 minutes. It takes a while to get started, but this prologue works because by the time all hell broke loose I actually cared that these characters survived. The twist isn't even as important as one makes it out to be. The film is about two unknown killers; the whole point was to determine who these killers were. That was what happened. The performances by Steve Zahn (especially during the final 30 minutes) and Olyphant are pretty good. Needless to say this was an enjoyable movie.… Expand

Milla Jovovich.

This movie was quite the thriller. I'm pretty uncertain if i like the twist or not, but let me tell ya, its very effective. All of the actors/actresses really did quite well. Although this plot was unoriginal, with the twist added and the execution, it came out to be the quality thriller.

This movie is good. I watch this movie so many time and i still love it. I think every one should watch this movie.his movie was surprisingly good. I love thriller movies like this. You think you know but you really don't. I think this is a must see movie. Good movie to have on blu ray and DVD. Good to add to your movie collection. i like that this movie had action thriller and some drama in it. And I like all the twist to the movie. A really good screenplay… Expand

The first hour of this movie is pretty slow but the second half of this movie is jam packed and very interesting "you have no idea who will live and who will die" kind of movie best I've seen in a while.