Honestly, David Twohy is a bit of an underrated madman. Most people know him for the Riddick franchise, but back in 2009, he dropped A Perfect Getaway, a movie that basically functions as a giant middle finger to traditional slasher tropes. It’s one of those films that starts out looking like a standard, sun-drenched tourism ad for Hawaii and then slowly, painfully, turns into a psychological puzzle box. If you haven't seen it recently, or if you only remember the broad strokes, you're missing out on some of the smartest "cheat" writing in modern thriller history.
It’s about a honeymoon. Well, supposedly.
Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich play Cliff and Cydney, a nerdy, lovable couple hiking the Kalalau Trail on Kauai. They’re the kind of people who look like they’ve never touched dirt before. Then they hear the news. There's been a double murder on a neighboring island. A man and a woman. The killers are still out there. Suddenly, every hiker they meet—the intense ex-Special Forces guy Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and his girlfriend Gina (Kiele Sanchez), or the sketchy hitchhikers Kale and Cleo—looks like a predator.
The movie thrives on the fact that you, the viewer, are doing exactly what the characters are doing. You’re profiling. You’re looking at Nick, who talks about having a titanium plate in his head and being "hard to kill," and you think, "Yeah, he’s definitely the guy." But Twohy is smarter than that.
The Anatomy of a Second-Watch Movie
A Perfect Getaway is fundamentally different the second time you watch it. That’s the hallmark of a great twist movie. Once you know who the killers are—and we’ll get into the mechanics of that reveal in a bit—the first hour of the movie changes from a suspense thriller into a dark comedy.
You start noticing how the "protagonists" talk to each other when no one else is around.
That’s where the controversy usually starts. Some critics at the time, and plenty of fans on Reddit even now, argue that the movie cheats. They say the characters act in ways that only make sense if they know a camera is watching them. But if you look closer, specifically at the "Method Acting" defense the movie sets up, it actually holds water. The killers aren't just hiding; they are colonizing the identities of their victims. They aren't just pretending to be Cliff and Cydney; they are Cliff and Cydney until the mask has to come off.
The pacing is wild. One minute you're watching a slow, meditative hike through some of the most beautiful scenery ever put on 35mm film, and the next, Timothy Olyphant is skinning a goat with a Bowie knife while talking about his "Jedi" reflexes. It's jarring. It's supposed to be.
Why Timothy Olyphant Owns This Movie
Can we talk about Olyphant for a second? Before Justified made him the king of the modern Western, he was the king of the "Is this guy a psychopath or just really cool?" vibe. His performance as Nick is the engine of A Perfect Getaway. He’s charismatic, terrifying, and weirdly endearing.
- He tells stories that sound like complete lies.
- He has a bizarre obsession with being an "American Jedi."
- He genuinely seems to like the people he’s with, which makes the tension even weirder.
The chemistry between him and Kiele Sanchez is the secret weapon here. While Zahn and Jovovich are playing the "scared tourists," Olyphant and Sanchez are playing a couple that feels lived-in, dangerous, and strangely functional. When Gina talks about how she met Nick or how he survived things no one should survive, it builds a mythos that distracts you from the actual clues hidden in plain sight.
The Twist That Divided Audiences
We have to talk about the "Redux" or the perspective shift. About two-thirds of the way through, the movie stops. It literally resets your understanding of everything you've seen.
The reveal that Cliff and Cydney are actually the killers—a pair of drug-addicted, identity-stealing sociopaths—is a massive gamble. It works because of the "movie within a movie" meta-commentary Cliff (Zahn) keeps dropping. He’s a screenwriter. He talks about "red herrings" and "second-act turns." He’s literally telling the audience exactly what he’s doing while he’s doing it.
It’s meta. It’s cheeky.
But does it feel cheap? To some, yeah. But the brilliance lies in the footage we didn't see the first time. The flashbacks showing them killing the real Cliff and Cydney at their wedding are brutal. It shifts the movie from a "who-done-it" to a "how-will-they-escape-it." Suddenly, you’re rooting for Nick—the guy you were convinced was a murderer—to survive.
Hawaii as a Character, Not Just a Backdrop
Most movies use Hawaii as a postcard. They stay on the beaches of Waikiki or the resorts of Maui. A Perfect Getaway goes into the mud. The Kalalau Trail is a real place, and it’s notorious for being both beautiful and incredibly dangerous.
The cinematography by Mark Spicer uses a lot of high-contrast, saturated colors. It makes the jungle feel claustrophobic despite being outdoors. You feel the humidity. You feel the grit. When the rain starts pouring during the climax, it’s not just "movie rain." It’s that heavy, tropical deluge that changes the entire landscape.
The isolation is the point. On that trail, there’s no cell service. There’s no quick way out. If you meet someone on that path, you are stuck with them. That forced intimacy is what allows the tension to boil over. You can’t just walk away; you’re on a cliffside.
🔗 Read more: AC/DC Explained: The Surprising Truth About Where the Name Came From
Technical Mastery and Direction
David Twohy isn't just a writer; he’s a visual storyteller who understands how to use the frame to lie to you. He uses split screens occasionally—a very 70s thriller technique—to show simultaneous actions that build a false sense of security or a false sense of dread.
The editing is intentionally deceptive. We see Cliff and Cydney reacting to things in private that seem to indicate fear. However, upon a second viewing, you realize they aren't reacting to the threat of killers; they are reacting to the threat of being caught or the logistical problems of their plan. It’s a subtle distinction that Zahn plays perfectly. He goes from "mousy nerd" to "cold-blooded shark" in a way that’s genuinely chilling.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
There’s a common misconception that the ending is a bit of a "deus ex machina" with the helicopter and the sniper. But if you pay attention to the radio calls and the timeline of the police investigation happening in the background, it’s actually set up fairly well.
The real climax isn't the shootout. It's the moment Gina sees the photos on the camera.
That sequence is a masterclass in tension. She’s looking at the wedding photos, and she sees the real couple. The realization on her face, while the "fake" Cydney is standing right behind her, is more terrifying than any of the knife fights. It’s that moment of: "I am trapped in the middle of nowhere with a monster."
Practical Insights for Thriller Fans
If you're looking to revisit this or if you're a writer studying how to pull off a twist, there are a few things A Perfect Getaway teaches us:
- The Meta-Shield: If your character talks about movie tropes, they can sometimes get away with using them. Cliff uses his "screenwriter" persona to explain away his odd behavior.
- The Likeability Trap: We tend to believe the person we spend the most time with is the hero. Twohy exploits this by making the actual heroes (Nick and Gina) seem like the antagonists for 60% of the runtime.
- Physical Clues over Dialogue: Watch the way Cliff handles the bags. Watch the way he looks at the map. The clues are there, but the dialogue is designed to lead you elsewhere.
Is It Still Worth Watching?
Absolutely. Even in 2026, when we're flooded with "prestige" thrillers and "elevated" horror, there's something refreshing about a movie that just wants to play a high-stakes game of Three-card Monte with its audience. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it respects the genre enough to play by its own internal rules.
✨ Don't miss: Inside Out 2 Anxiety: Why That Orange Ball of Nerves Feels So Real
The performances hold up. Steve Zahn has rarely been this menacing, and Milla Jovovich delivers a range that she often doesn't get to show in the Resident Evil movies. She goes from vulnerable bride to "Bonnie and Clyde" levels of crazy in a heartbeat.
If you’re planning a trip to Kauai, maybe watch this after you get back. Or don't. Maybe the slight edge of paranoia makes the hiking more interesting. Just make sure you know who’s taking your wedding photos.
Next Steps for Your Movie Night:
- Watch the Director’s Cut: It adds about 10 minutes of character development that makes the eventual turn feel even more earned.
- Double Feature Idea: Pair this with The Gift (2015) or Hunter Hunter (2020) for a night of "who can I actually trust?" tension.
- Check the Background: On your next viewing, ignore the person speaking and just watch the eyes of the other characters in the scene. The "acting" within the acting is phenomenal.
The film is currently available on various streaming platforms, and it remains a textbook example of how to execute a POV-shift without completely losing the audience. It’s smart, mean, and incredibly fun.