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movie review - Return to Paradise

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This was a gritty little number that came and went through the theatres without much ado, but which deserves a look. Anne Heche aside, the acting is flawless, the lead (Vaughn) is a wonderfully unlikable hero, and the setting riveting in it the stark highlight it provides the plot. The prison in particular is a horrible counterpoint to the sense of impending trouble that marks the beginning of the movie.

The story is about three men who meet while on vacation in Malaysia. They party for a while, then things come to a close as the real world calls two of them back to their separate lives in New York. Two years pass, and the two New Yorkers learn that their third friend has spent the intervening time in a hellish Malaysia prison, arrested on charges of dealing hash.

The hash (over 100g was found in his possession) was there because the three of them had bought more than they'd ever need (and ain't that sweet, as the song concludes), because it was just so damn cheap. The jailed friend's lawyer asks the two in America to return to Malaysia and share the sentance, thereby reducing her client's time. The rest of the movie focuses on how the two deal with this.

Recommended.