This Forgotten Chris Hemsworth Thriller Needs A Cult Following

When I first watched A Perfect Getaway in the year it came out, 2009, I had no idea who Chris Hemsworth was. I barely recognized Timothy Olyphant from other roles he’d had. The real stars of the film were Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich, believe it or not.

How times have changed. Today, when I remind people of this movie, they say, almost inevitably, “Oh man, I forgot Chris Hemsworth was in that movie!” Well, maybe it’s time we all go back and take a second look. 

A Perfect Getaway opens with a lovely couple on their honeymoon, Cliff and Cydney (Zahn and Jovovich). We watch them make a cute travel video, enjoy a night in their romantic hotel, and wake up for a day of hiking in Hawaii.

On their drive, Cliff and Cydney meet up with another couple, Kale (Hemsworth), who behaves like a hotheaded nutjob from the beginning, and Cleo (Marley Stapleton), who seems sweet but overwhelmed by her boyfriend. The two eventually go their own way, leaving Cliff and Cydney alone once more. 

As they begin their hike on what truly seems to be a perfect getaway, they meet still another couple, Nick (Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). The couples decide to hike together, and at first get along just fine, until they receive word that a double homicide has been committed on the island, and that the suspects are a man and a woman traveling together.

At this point, as the audience, you have three couples to suspect. It could really be anyone we’re watching so far. And the couples clearly feel the same way. The tensions rise, the intensity picks up, and you start watching every move every person makes. 

When the couples arrive at a breathtaking waterfall, yet another magical destination on a perfect getaway, they find Kale and Cleo are also there, and Kale is acting aggressively, threatening Cleo in subtle tones.

Hemsworth does a great job of playing a barely restrained psychopath (a nice predictor of his future in Furiosa). He has to be the killer, right?

The two couples continue on without Kale and Cleo, more wary than ever, and Nick and Cliff strike up a conversation about their professions. Nick finds out that Cliff is a screenwriter, and he begins insisting Cliff must make a movie about him. 

GFR SCORE

Nick explains that he used to be a soldier, but he had his skull crushed. Still, he tells Cliff he survived thanks to his entire skull being wrapped in metal plates. Cliff humors Nick but keeps giving those crazy looks Zahn is so good at as he catches Cydney’s gaze.

He clearly has no interest in writing about Nick. Tensions start to climb again as the men become slightly antagonistic toward each other, and we find ourselves wondering again, who are the killers? 

To take you any further on this hike would be to spoil important plot points. Suffice to say, it is the person you least expect, and even me telling you that will still have you least expecting it. A Perfect Getaway is a perfect thriller for a Friday night.

It’s not currently streaming on any subscription services, but you can rent it through Apple TV, Amazon, or Microsoft.