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Plot – In 1963 Texas, Robert “Butch” Haynes (Costner) and fellow inmate Terry Pugh escape from a Huntsville prison. Before long they find themselves in a situation which necessitates the taking of hostage. Taking a young boy, Phillip, hostage they hit the road; but it's not long before this trio loses a member. After attempting to molest Phillip, Pugh is killed by Butch, leaving Butch and Phillip to go on alone. As the miles pass a relationship between captive and captor begins to grow, a friendship which becomes deeper and more touching as the film nears its conclusion. All the while they are being pursued by Texas Ranger 'Red' Garrett (Eastwood) and criminologist Sally Gerner (Dern)
As I recently posted I have actually seen this film before. Sort of. A few years back it was on TV and even though I was taping it I did catch a decent bit of it in the background, and what I saw of it I really liked the look of. Now most people (normal, rational people!) would then want to go ahead and watch it in full very shortly after that. I however didn't, for fear it wouldn't live up to those initial impressions I had built up. Yes I'm weird! Let's move on.
Anyway it perhaps didn't quite live up to the high promise I had heaped upon it, but I still greatly enjoyed it. And it's a film I can see my appreciation growing for on repeated viewings.
Going by the film's plot summary of “a convict takes a young boy hostage and drives across the country with the law hot on his heels“ this film really doesn't go down the path you might expect. Despite the fact that there's a fair bit of action (a jail break, a hostage situation, the chase, the final shootout) the film is actually a rather quiet, understated effort. It's a film not so much concerned with the crimes committed, as the men who commit them and the reasons for this. And the characters aren't exactly the norm either. You certainly can't argue that Costner's Butch Haynes is a good guy, and yet there is undeniably something likeable about him; a warmth and a degree of well intentioned principles which builds the man. I think the character would also make for a terrific con man as he terrifically sells his immense charm to all those he meets. And Eastwood's Texas Ranger isn't your normal tough ass lawman. Indeed a lot of the time he doesn't seem all that desperate to catch his man, a growing empathy perhaps holding him back. And lastly young Phillip is not your standard sweet and precocious movie kid.
What really makes this film stand out is the relationship between Butch and Phillip. What starts out as a hostage taker/hostage relationship very quickly becomes something else as both men find something that has been missing in their life; more than merely a case of Stockholm syndrome. Phillip quite clearly finds the father figure that has been absent from his life, and finds one in Butch who protects, guides and mentors him. The other side of the relationship is more difficult to discern. As the film goes along it becomes obvious that Butch had a tough childhood which involved physical abuse at the hands of his father. I think it's safe to assume that he didn't have the childhood that he wanted, the childhood that all kids should have. And it's as if he is trying to see himself in Phillip and gave him the life he didn't have as a kid; give him the father figure that Butch never had. Perhaps by doing that he will heal some of his own wounds
There are two great performances on show here, and neither of them is delivered by Clint Eastwood. It's not that there is anything wrong with him, it's just that the role does not really give him the chance to match the performances of Costner and young Phillip. He is however still very good. But it's Costner who walks away with the real plaudits. While I know he has quite a few haters out there he is someone I've always been a big fan of, and here I think he is excellent in a role which actually feels very much like a role Eastwood himself would usually play – a bit of a rogue outlaw character who nevertheless has his own code of honour. He himself may be a criminal but places himself well above his fellow escapee, Terry Pugh in terms of morals and decency. He keeps Terry on a short leash and will not allow him to harm either the young boy or his mother, eventually resulting in Terry's death. Costner delivers a very strong, silent showing which garners our sympathies through his well-meaning intentions and treatment of Phillip, while maintaining a simmering and combustible streak of anger under the surface which could boil over at any moment. And then there's T.J. Lowther playing Phillip (aka Buzz). It's a terrific performance from such a young actor, sidestepping many of the pitfalls that often befall youngsters to give an extremely natural showing which is really rather touching. A lot of credit should also go to Hancock's script and Eastwood's direction for eliciting such an effective and naturalistic performance.
As I said Eastwood gives a very good performance in his own right, as does Laura Dern as criminologist Sally Gerber. Together, along with Bradley Whitford's trigger happy FBI agent, the group has a lot of potential which I just don't think it really fulfilled. I felt that they were rather squandered, not given the importance or growth needed to really work. As such, those scenes were the film breaks away from Butch and Phillip to the group following them lack the vibrancy of the moments where Costner and Lowther are together and often come across as unnecessary. And while it makes perfect sense for the story it's just a shame that Eastwood and Costner have so little shared screen time. Whatever people may think of them they were two of the biggest film icons of their generation. And at the time they were just about the biggest things in Hollywood. In 1991 Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves was a huge box office hit, won the best picture Oscar and gave Costner an Oscar nomination for acting and a win for directing. The following year it was the exact same story except with Unforgiven and Clint Eastwood.
The pace of the film certainly isn't what you would call lightning. It's quite slow and ponderous for a great degree of the time, and indeed I think the film is a touch overlong, especially guilty of drawing out the ending. Though the film is peppered with the occasional moments of quirky humour to give the film a lightness and breeziness. As a result of this light-hearted, almost melancholic nature when the film does break from this it makes it all the more effective. In particular the moment were Butch snaps and turns a touch psycho makes for an extremely chilling scene. With his underlying anger sparked into life when a man who takes them in for the night hits his son he suddenly becomes monstrous, subduing them and threatening their lives.
It's a film which seems very concerned with understanding violence. It shows how violence breeds violence, how the father passes it on to the son. If Butch's father had been a decent man would Butch be in the position he now finds himself? Indeed how many men in jail would not be there if they had a decent father in their life? And surely the film's setting; Texas in 1963, is no accident. Taking place shortly before the assassination of JFK it just plays into this feeling of needless violence and encroaching tragedy.
Conclusion – A moving and complex film, finely crafted by Eastwood and led by a pair of touching and captivating performances from Costner and young T.J. Lowther. Highly recommended stuff
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Year of release
1993
1993
Directed by
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Written by
John Lee Hancock
John Lee Hancock
Starring
Kevin Costner
T.J. Lowther
Clint Eastwood
Laura Dern
Kevin Costner
T.J. Lowther
Clint Eastwood
Laura Dern
A Perfect World
+
Plot – In 1963 Texas, Robert “Butch” Haynes (Costner) and fellow inmate Terry Pugh escape from a Huntsville prison. Before long they find themselves in a situation which necessitates the taking of hostage. Taking a young boy, Phillip, hostage they hit the road; but it's not long before this trio loses a member. After attempting to molest Phillip, Pugh is killed by Butch, leaving Butch and Phillip to go on alone. As the miles pass a relationship between captive and captor begins to grow, a friendship which becomes deeper and more touching as the film nears its conclusion. All the while they are being pursued by Texas Ranger 'Red' Garrett (Eastwood) and criminologist Sally Gerner (Dern)
As I recently posted I have actually seen this film before. Sort of. A few years back it was on TV and even though I was taping it I did catch a decent bit of it in the background, and what I saw of it I really liked the look of. Now most people (normal, rational people!) would then want to go ahead and watch it in full very shortly after that. I however didn't, for fear it wouldn't live up to those initial impressions I had built up. Yes I'm weird! Let's move on.
Anyway it perhaps didn't quite live up to the high promise I had heaped upon it, but I still greatly enjoyed it. And it's a film I can see my appreciation growing for on repeated viewings.Going by the film's plot summary of “a convict takes a young boy hostage and drives across the country with the law hot on his heels“ this film really doesn't go down the path you might expect. Despite the fact that there's a fair bit of action (a jail break, a hostage situation, the chase, the final shootout) the film is actually a rather quiet, understated effort. It's a film not so much concerned with the crimes committed, as the men who commit them and the reasons for this. And the characters aren't exactly the norm either. You certainly can't argue that Costner's Butch Haynes is a good guy, and yet there is undeniably something likeable about him; a warmth and a degree of well intentioned principles which builds the man. I think the character would also make for a terrific con man as he terrifically sells his immense charm to all those he meets. And Eastwood's Texas Ranger isn't your normal tough ass lawman. Indeed a lot of the time he doesn't seem all that desperate to catch his man, a growing empathy perhaps holding him back. And lastly young Phillip is not your standard sweet and precocious movie kid.
What really makes this film stand out is the relationship between Butch and Phillip. What starts out as a hostage taker/hostage relationship very quickly becomes something else as both men find something that has been missing in their life; more than merely a case of Stockholm syndrome. Phillip quite clearly finds the father figure that has been absent from his life, and finds one in Butch who protects, guides and mentors him. The other side of the relationship is more difficult to discern. As the film goes along it becomes obvious that Butch had a tough childhood which involved physical abuse at the hands of his father. I think it's safe to assume that he didn't have the childhood that he wanted, the childhood that all kids should have. And it's as if he is trying to see himself in Phillip and gave him the life he didn't have as a kid; give him the father figure that Butch never had. Perhaps by doing that he will heal some of his own wounds
Film trivia – A Perfect World marked the first time that Clint Eastwood did not receive top billing for a film since Paint Your Wagon. That was made all the way back in 1969, 24 years and 30 films previous! An incredible run that truly highlights just how big a star he was and indeed still is.
As I said Eastwood gives a very good performance in his own right, as does Laura Dern as criminologist Sally Gerber. Together, along with Bradley Whitford's trigger happy FBI agent, the group has a lot of potential which I just don't think it really fulfilled. I felt that they were rather squandered, not given the importance or growth needed to really work. As such, those scenes were the film breaks away from Butch and Phillip to the group following them lack the vibrancy of the moments where Costner and Lowther are together and often come across as unnecessary. And while it makes perfect sense for the story it's just a shame that Eastwood and Costner have so little shared screen time. Whatever people may think of them they were two of the biggest film icons of their generation. And at the time they were just about the biggest things in Hollywood. In 1991 Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves was a huge box office hit, won the best picture Oscar and gave Costner an Oscar nomination for acting and a win for directing. The following year it was the exact same story except with Unforgiven and Clint Eastwood.
Film trivia – In the film, Phillip steals a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume and proceeds to wear it throughout the film. Strangely enough this is not Clint's only connection to the loveable ghost. He would later make a cameo appearance in 1995's movie Casper.
It's a film which seems very concerned with understanding violence. It shows how violence breeds violence, how the father passes it on to the son. If Butch's father had been a decent man would Butch be in the position he now finds himself? Indeed how many men in jail would not be there if they had a decent father in their life? And surely the film's setting; Texas in 1963, is no accident. Taking place shortly before the assassination of JFK it just plays into this feeling of needless violence and encroaching tragedy.
Conclusion – A moving and complex film, finely crafted by Eastwood and led by a pair of touching and captivating performances from Costner and young T.J. Lowther. Highly recommended stuff