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Movies / On DVD / A Perfect World
A Perfect World

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A Perfect World (1993)

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85 %
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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:22

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 19 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: A PERFECT WORLD is set in Texas in 1963. Working from John Lee Hancock's original script, Clint Eastwood crafts a subtle and haunting work that features what is perhaps Kevin Costner's best... A PERFECT WORLD is set in Texas in 1963. Working from John Lee Hancock's original script, Clint Eastwood crafts a subtle and haunting work that features what is perhaps Kevin Costner's best performance. Costner plays against type as Butch Haynes, an escaped convict whose tendency toward violence is masked by his affability. Haynes escapes with a more blatantly dangerous convict, Terry Pugh, planning to ditch him as soon as they cross the border. But Pugh's lack of self-control gets them in trouble, and they take a young boy hostage. Raised by his single mother, a Jehovah's Witness, Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther, in a heartbreakingly real performance) is fascinated by Haynes's roughneck ways, and the two form a surprisingly strong bond. Eastwood takes a supporting role as Red Garnett, the lawman who, ineptly but inevitably, is closing in on Haynes. With a woman criminologist (Laura Dern) and a trigger-happy federal agent along for the ride, Garnett chases Haynes down while keeping their shared past a secret from his team. Following WHITE HUNTER, BLACK HEART and UNFORGIVEN, A PERFECT WORLD shows Eastwood as a filmmaker at the absolute height of his creative powers. A PERFECT WORLD is one of his boldest works. [More]

Starring: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther

Starring: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther

Director: Clint Eastwood

Director: Clint Eastwood

[See More Credits]

Reviews for A Perfect World

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A Perfect World is evidence that Hollywood is still capable of producing the kinds of moving, intelligent movies that have increasingly become the province of independent film makers.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Some may accuse the picture of sentimentality, but really it gets caught up in the moment.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
10/03/02
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Moving and totally absorbing.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/02/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

This is a movie that surprises you.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A Perfect World is essentially an indictment of how the American penal system turns troubled boys into career crooks, but the film is weakened by a plethora of inappropriate comedy.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

A Perfect World is really two films. One is mediocre at best, but the other is one of the best films of the year. Together, they still add up to one of the better films of the year.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews

This is a little movie and should have a brief running time. The editor must have been asleep at his desk.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

It's not a perfect movie -- there's a bit more formula here than there ought to be -- but it's closer than you might think.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Within its narrow, unambitious, commercial boundaries, the movie is highly watchable.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

In going beyond chase-yarn duty, Eastwood and Costner do themselves proud.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/06/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Never once feels like more than push-button artifice.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/16/03
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
Apollo Guide

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Shellie Iliff
Shellie Iliff
Palo Alto Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
03/23/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
04/07/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson
Washington Post
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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