A Perfect World (1993)

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.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

John Lee Hancock

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Robert 'Butch' Haynes
Clint Eastwood	...	Chief Red Garnett
Laura Dern	...	Sally Gerber
T.J. Lowther	...	Phillip 'Buzz' Perry
Keith Szarabajka	...	Terry Pugh
Leo Burmester	...	Tom Adler
Paul Hewitt	...	Dick Suttle
Bradley Whitford	...	Bobby Lee
Ray McKinnon	...	Bradley
Jennifer Griffin	...	Gladys Perry
Leslie Flowers	...	Naomi Perry
Belinda Flowers	...	Ruth Perry
Darryl Cox	...	Mr. Hughes
Jay Whiteaker	...	Billy Reeves
Taylor Suzanna McBride	...	Tinkerbell

Storyline

After escaping from a Huntsville prison, convict Butch Haynes and his partner Terry Pugh kidnap a young boy, Philip Perry, and flee across Texas. As they travel together, Butch and Philip discover common bonds and suffer the abuses of the outside "Perfect World." In pursuit is Texas Ranger "Red" Garnett and criminologist Sally Gerber.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | texas | escaped convict | criminologist | blood | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un mundo perfecto

Filming Locations:

Steiner Ranch - 896 Sayers Road, Bastrop, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£3,034,130 (UK) (14 January 1994)

Gross:

£4,092,432 (UK) (4 February 1994)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Malpaso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 125 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood both received Best Director Oscars in the years shortly preceding this film. Both of their respective films (Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven) were westerns.

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Goofs

When Butch is at Dotty's restaurant talking to the waitress, his glass suddenly goes from less than half full to three-quarters full between shots.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Sally Gerber: You know you did everything you could. Don't you?
Chief Red Garnett: I don't know nothin'.
[pause]
Chief Red Garnett: Not one damn thing.

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Connections

Featured in The Directors: The Films of Clint Eastwood

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Soundtracks

"Night Life"
Written by Willie Nelson, Walt Breeland and Paul Buskirk
Performed by Rusty Draper
Courtesy of Sony Music Special Products

User Reviews

A Perfect World Is Perfectly Watchable!

Some aspects of this film work better than others, but overall A PERFECT WORLD is a highly watchable film. Kevin Costner delivers a fine performance as escaped convict Butch Haynes. The film primarily focuses on the relationship between Haynes and an innocent 8 year old boy named Phillip whom he kidnaps and befriends (well played by TJ Lowther). Haynes has killed two people thus far and gives the impression of a being a loose cannon, but Eastwood evokes sympathy for the character as the audience learns about Haynes troubled childhood (raised without a father by a prostitute mother - killed a man by the age of 8) and observe his genuine care and concern for the boy. Their relationship is reminiscent of Allan Ladd and the young boy in SHANE. As he slowly feeds us more information about Hayne's history, and lets the audience wrestle with its ambivalent feelings towards Costner's character, Eastwood keeps the film moving with lots of close brushes with the law, car chases and shoot'em ups.

Where the film doesn't work quite is when Eastwood himself is in front of the camera, playing a minor role - Chief Red Garnett - a Texas Ranger who's in charge of Haynes' capture. The primary function of his character, and Laura Dern's (who plays Sally Gerber - a criminologist the Governor forces upon the Chief) in the script is to supply further information about Haynes' past. Unfortunately, Eastwood tries to flesh out the relationship between these characters through antagonistic chauvinist attitudes towards Gerber and creating a power struggle between the two which (big surprise!) over the course of the film, gradually leads to a mutual respect between them! Granted Eastwood and Dern have marquee value - especially Eastwood, are fine in their roles, and, of course, chauvinism was alive and well in 1960's Texas, but I mostly found these minor subplots annoying and unnecessary. It's the scenes and issues focusing on Costner's character that are the life blood of this picture. This criticism aside, Eastwood does a solid job directing, weaving action, suspense and thought provoking human drama into a well knit weave and Costner delivers one of the best acting performances of his career.

7 1/2 out of 10