Return To Paradise

Two years later, Anne Heche enters the picture as a lawyer, ostensibly working on behalf of her client, Louis. She seeks out Sheriff and Tony with a proposition. It seems that while Sheriff and Tony have been getting on with their lives, Louis has been rotting in a Malaysian prison for the past two years and living in sheer terror. You see, Louis is scheduled to be executed in eight days as a drug dealer, as the amount of dope that had been left behind and discovered by the police was just over the threshold amount that would classify it as being for distribution, rather than for personal use. The only hope Louis has of staying alive is if Sheriff and Tony go back to Malaysia to take responsibility for their part in this and serve three years each. If only one returns, then the sole returnee faces six years. Will it be all for one and one for all? Will Louis live to personally thank his friends? Watch the movie and find out.

Vince Vaughn as Sheriff gives a compelling performance. Playing the quintessential Everyman, he struggles with his moral obligation. It is strictly a moral one, as legally he can just sit by and do nothing. Tony, too, undergoes some soul searching. They finally both come to the same conclusion, or do they? The dilemma that they face is an excruciatingly personal one. The movie builds up to a level of suspense that is totally unexpected. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix, one of the finest young actors of his generation, gives a performance that will haunt the viewer for days. Anne Heche also give a noteworthy performance, intense and relentless in her quest to save what life Louis has left. Jada Pinkett also gives a strong performance as a newsreporter who is interested in the story. Her interjection into the movie brings into the forefront the issue of the responsibility of the press. When you see this movie, you will understand what this means.

This film is excellent on all fronts. The only weakness was an unnecessary subplot, which involved a blossoming romance between Sheriff and the character played by Anne Heche. Were it not for this digression, I would have given the movie five stars. It is an otherwise profoundly moving film that deserves to be seen.

It shows the moral dilemma faced by two ordinary people when confronted by an unimaginable situation. Do you do the right thing and give up 3 years of your life, or turn your back on a friend? A question I'm sure many of us think we could answer in an instant. However, we are shown clearly here that life sometimes gets in the way of the heroic image we sometimes paint of ourselves.

The acting in general is superb, with a great performance by Phoenix and possibly the best I've seen yet from Vaughn. Anne Heche really shines in this film, notably in the final court room scene. She manages to hold the audience's attention with ease and I found myself really believing the agony she must have been going through faced with this horrific situation.

This is a superb film that is guaranteed to leave you asking yourself what you would have done in the same situation. Buy it and share it. I have no idea why this film performed so poorly in the box office, but one thing is for sure, that you will kick yourself if you miss out on it.