Not Quite Perfect

directed by Clint Eastwood

Loews Cheri

"A Perfect World" is the latest addition to the collection of Clint Eastwood action films that have spanned a few generations. The all-star cast (Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Laura Dern) make it a must-see for a large cross section of movie-goers. This JFK-era film has something for everyone: action, adventure, drama, psychological thriller, and a healthy dose of Texas political culture, capped off by Eastwood's performance as Red, the cowboy hat-toting sheriff.

The convict Butch Haynes (Costner) has just escaped from prison with his partner, who immediately breaks into someone's home to stock up on provisions. In the ensuing struggle, Haynes takes the mother's eight-year-old son, Philip (T.J. Lowther), as a hostage, and they're off to hit the road. Haynes cleanly commits what we later learn is his second and final murder, and the little boy soon learns where he must turn his loyalties. Their relationship is quickly transformed from captor/captee, to mutual symbiosis for practical survival, to a mentor/mentee on the facts of life, to something that closely resembles the kind of love that is felt between father and son.

Their story is paralleled by the investigative crew (Laura Dern and Clint Eastwood) sent out on their trail. In their adventures, we learn about Haynes' personal history and ultimately the psychological motives for his actions, as the investigators probe his case history and Red sheds some light on his own past dealings with Haynes.

After a string of B-grade movies with roles as mediocre heroes, Kevin Costner has once again proven his reputation as as a first-rate performer. He portrays a likeable convict, one who deals with people with ease, handles every tight situation as if it were routine, and is charming through this very nonchalance and self-assuredness.

Clint Eastwood is his counterpart on the "right" side of the law, and it is a regret the screenplay never puts the two characters face to face in a meaningful verbal interchange. Eastwood and Laura Dern work well together with their biting sarcasm and confidence in much the same kind of dynamic that Eastwood and Rene Russo depicted in "In the Line of Fire." The Clint "man-of-action" character has certainly progressed from the self-possessed, out-for-himself, ruthless justice seeker of his "Dirty Harry" era.

Though the film is mostly entertaining throughout, the mixed genres and themes sometimes clash, leaving the audience with a sour note. The dynamic among the pursuers is sometimes poorly integrated with the rough and tumble adventures of Baynes and Philip. The thrill of the chase is lost when the pursuers' high-tech vehicle goes out of commssion somewhere in the middle of the film. Haynes is the superior runner, and the audience feels let down when the prospect of impending danger is relinquished so easily. The next point of tension is a dramatic one which makes a screeching contrast to the humor and road-side adventure which preceded it.

In addition to the bizarre melange of genres, the film is somewhat annoying in its Dan Quayle-esque Republican insistence upon family values. Though Haynes is a slime and a psychological misfit, Eastwood and Costner render him thoroughly endearing to the audience. The film also suggests that Haynes is somehow less accountable for his actions, and his anti-child-molesting streak becomes the prime justification for some of his crazy antics. The film never makes a definitive statement on the question of this moral responsibility, but chooses its points of drama for the lesser issues of the guilt, fear and confusion of the people whose paths Haynes' trajectory crosses.

The screen dynamic between Costner and the little boy will appeal to a wide age range. The dialogue of the Costner character was very wittily constructed, and it is no wonder that at times we can become swept away by the twisted logic of the world according to Haynes. Eastwood's performance is fine, if not a little bit-eclipsed by his recent roles in "Unforgiven" and "In the Line of Fire."