A Perfect World (DVD)

Reviews

"A PERFECT WORLD" by Micky B - 26 February 2013

For my money this is one of Clint Eastwood's <I>best movies ever!</I> As director and producer, Eastwood initially had no intention of actually appearing in the movie himself . But just like legendary John Wayne in <i>The High and the Mighty</i> of some fifty years before, circumstances dictated his eventually taking the second billing part in this one. Besides, lead star Kevin Costner certainly had the far meatier role here... The story kind of starts off at the end. A man is lying under a tree out in the open; face upwards, and is staring up almost uncomprehendingly at the helicopter circling overhead. In 1963, Texas convicts Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarbejka) escape from the state penitentionary in Huntsville, Texas. The pair stumbles into a house where eight-year old Phillip Perry (T J Lowther) lives with his devout Jehovah's Witnwss mother (a REAL pain in the butt;) and and two sisters who aren't much better. Needing a hostage to aid their escape, Butch grabs the boy, who meekly accompanies them. The trio's journey starts off on an unpleasant note as Butch shoots Terry, following the latter's attempt to molest the child. With his partner out of the way, the convict and his young victim take to the Texas highway in a bid to flee from the pursuing police. Phillip, eight years old, has never participated in either Haloween or Christmas celebrations. Escaping with Butch, however, he experiences a freedom which he finds exhilarating, as Butch gladly allows him the kind of indulgences he has been forbidden all along, including the wearing of a shoplifted Casper the Friendly Ghost costume. Gradually, Phillip becomes increasingly aware of his surroundings, and with constant encouragement from Butch, seems to acquire the ability to make independent decisions on what is wrong and right. For his part, Butch slowly finds himself drawn into giving Phillip the kind of fatherly presence which he himself never had. Meanwhile, Texas Ranger Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood), riding in the Governor's airstream trailer, is in pursuit. With criminologist Sally Gerber (Laura Dern – another pain in the butt) and trigger-happy FBI sharpshooter Bobby Lee (Bradley Whitfield) quite literally in tow, Red is determined to recover the criminal and his hostage before they can cross the Texas border. The haunting musical score adapted by Lennie Niehaus, is every bit as dramatically moving as Max Steiner's “Tara's Theme” from <i>Gone With the Wind.</i> Magic stuff!