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Return to Paradise (1998)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
11/23
11/23:
If Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche completely shamed themselves by redoing
Psycho, they more than make up for it by delivering powerful performances
in Return to Paradise, a remake of the French film Force majeure.
Deserving of Oscar nominations, they remind me of Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint from
On the Waterfront, and their chemistry was for real. The "prisoner's
dilemma" story is at once compelling and intelligent which sets up for a two-hour conscience picture. I don't
blame Sheriff and Tony for feeling this way and can identify with them. Who knew that throwing the wrecked
bike over the ravine would produce fatal consequences? What made Sheriff's decision easier is that he
gained a girlfriend after all. Either way, he's a hero.
Thinking about the all-time bad situation, I wonder if it happens for real. In my prescient review of
Midnight Express, I mentioned, "'Does the punishment fit the crime?'
is irrelevant here because he's not in the United States anymore. Billy traveled to a foreign country where
laws are different, no matter how illogical they are. Just respect them, don't cause problems, and leave quietly.
Life is easier this way." Then, I said, "Of course, Midnight Express
is a gritty picture about serving time in a foreign prison where anything goes just like its cuckoo criminal
justice system." Indeed so.
All in all, you can now wash your mind away of the Psycho remake by
checking out Return to Paradise.