ROLL-M: Movie Review |
Return to Paradise (starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, David Conrad and Joaquin Phoenix; screenplay by Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson; directed by Joseph Ruben; rated R – profanity; violence)
"Would you put your life at risk for someone you knew for five weeks?"
That’s the question director Joseph Ruben asks in Return to Paradise, a sometimes tense, sometimes drawn out moralist drama loosely based on the 1990 French film, Force Majeure. The story begins with the only beauty seen throughout the film – the lovely, lush landscape that is Malaysia; as the story unfolds, the (exquisite) cinematography gradually takes on a distinctly "noirish" tone. We meet three carefree young men who are on holiday here, enjoying all that Penang has to offer, indulging in a little sex and even partaking in a bit of the cheap illicit drugs available over there. Then these new buddies depart, going their various ways – Lewis, the gentle animal rights activist, will stay on to work in the jungles, helping to save the vanishing Orangutans, while Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) plan to return to the jungle that is New York.
Two years later, Sheriff (the character’s nickname) and Tony are separately contacted by Beth (Anne Heche), a lawyer representing Lewis, who, it turns out, has been incarcerated in a Malaysian prison for the past two years, busted when the drugs the others left behind were found in his possession. Things get worse. In eight days, Lewis will be hanged unless the two men agree to return to Penang, Malaysia and serve three-years sentences each, assuming their share of the blame for this crime – in which case, Beth has an oral agreement that the government will spare Lewis’ life.
At this point, the film delves into Beth’s plight to convince at least one man to fly back – one man alone would be sentenced to serve six years; two men – three years apiece. It’s a great setup for all sorts of agonizing over the value of friendship versus self-preservation, the pangs of guilt versus the virtue of self-redemption – a true morality play. And while the acting is always top-notch and the dialogue fresh, the film loses its momentum somewhere in the middle with Sheriff’s and Tony’s on-again/off-again dilemma. To further complicate matters, ambitious American reporter M. J. Major (Jada Pinkett Smith) attempts to bring unwelcome publicity to the case.
Although not tied to any one specific incident, Return to Paradise has some basis in fact. Third World prisons are noted for their substandard conditions, and Malaysia has a zero-tolerance policy for drug traffickers (and pretty much any other lawbreakers – remember the kid who got caned for graffiti?). Also, that government does not take lightly to adverse publicity, as in the true case of a young Australian who was incarcerated for drug dealing. His mother turned to the media for help, and the infuriated Malaysians promptly hanged him.
This movie will make you think – and Mensans are usually good at that! It could also be a recruiting film for Amnesty International. The inhumane treatment of humans glimpsed briefly in this Third World prison will have you reaching for your checkbook. The film may not have the requisite uplifting Hollywood ending we all hope for, but it is one you will not easily forget.
Three and a Half Owls (out of Five)