DAVID TWOHY

Bil’s rating (out of 5):   BBB

USA, 2009.  Rogue, Relativity Media, QED International, Davis Entertainment, Tucker Tooley Entertainment.  Screenplay by David Twohy.  Cinematography by Mark Plummer.  Produced by Robbie Brenner, Mark Canton, Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley.  Music by Boris Elkis.  Production Design by Joseph C. Nemec III.  Costume Design by Laura Goldsmith.  Film Editing by Tracy Adams.  

It’s not a good sign when, five minutes into a thriller, you find yourself hoping that the protagonist couple will meet with a bad end so that you won’t have to put up with them any longer. Such is the sentiment inspired by the characters played by Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich, happy honeymooners who are looking to experience some adventure on a wilderness trail in sunny Hawaii. Give it some time, however, and you might find yourself turned around by the plot that develops. Zahn and Jovovich meet up with another couple, a slightly whacky ex-marine (Timothy Olyphant) and his sassy girlfriend (Kiele Sanchez) at about the same time that they hear news of a honeymooning couple having been murdered in Honolulu. The couple spend time with their new friends constantly worried that they might be in company with the killers, but are too far along on their trip to turn back and must see it through to the end. The twists are more plentiful than you think, and even if you predict them (which I didn’t), you’ll be surprised at how much fun the last third is as a result of the surprises. Performances are all spirited, and the photography of Hawaii is overly beautified until it looks like you’re staring at a two-hour screensaver.