Return to Paradise

2 Pages 510 Words

Return to Paradise is a movie that has a great morality play. It uses the characters to force us to ask ourselves one question Is the life of a friend worth three years of your life?
As Return to Paradise opens, we learn of three friends Sheriff (Vince Vaughn), Tony (David Conrad), and Lou (Joaquin Phoenix). They are spending their vacation together in Malaysia - smoking hash, having sex with exotic women, and enjoying the quiet life. Sheriff is a limo driver, Tony an architect, and Lou a self proclaimed tree hugger. As their vacation ends the three decide what to do. Sheriff and Tony decide to fly back to New York, but Lou wants to stay and help free orangutans.
Two years later Sheriff and Tony are approached by a lawyer, Beth (Anne Heche), who tells them what happened to Lou right after they left. It turns out that Lou was caught with the hash and has been imprisoned for the last two years. Compounding this news is the fact that Lou has only seven days to live. The Malaysian government takes drugs seriously and they have sentenced Lou to death. The only thing that can save Lou is if both Sheriff and Tony go back to Malaysia and accept their responsibility with the drugs. In that case, Lou's life will be spared. If Sheriff and Tony return, they will have to spend three years in prison to complete this deal to save Lou.
Writers Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson have put together a tight and engrossing script. The script never strays into melodrama and focuses solely on the question of if these two friends will go back to save Lou.
Kudos to cinematographer Reynaldo Villalobos, who shoots this film wonderfully. The film is shot with mostly grays, blacks, and whites. But, Villalobos skillfully slips in some bright colors to match the emotions of the characters onscreen.
The cast is superb. Vaughn, who I last saw in the Lost World, is the staple for this film. His performance stands out. Vaughn plays Sheriff right on the money - a guy ...