Powerhouse cast sustains melodrama to perfection

It's the middle of August, so where are all the blockbusters with huge special effects? I don't have a clue. It's rather remarkable to see this few films that rely on special effects rather than characters. Sure, you have Godzilla and Armageddon, but that's only two out of the entire summer season! Instead, we have films like The Truman Show and The X-Files and now RETURN TO PARADISE, a completely character-driven movie with absoltuely no overwhelming visual effects.

But don't worry... that's not to say it's boring in the least. In fact, it's exactly opposite. By offering the question "What would you do in this situation?" we are given a moral dilemma that acts as the film's entire core. Instead of visual effects being the main plot, an intense drama with some dangerous questions is the focus. So, what would you do? Instead of offering a simple answer (which could have always happened), the film retains a very realistic attitude that makes the ending all that more appropriate. Some films end with a happy note and it just seems wrong. This film ends exactly as it should have, and I applaud it for that courage.

RETURN TO PARADISE is being called a newer version of Midnight Express, but there is really no comparison--one's an excellent visceral experience, the other is a dramatic rush of suspense that builds slowly only to explode in one of the most emotional scenes of the year. You figure out which is which. RETURN TO PARADISE begins with an 8mm film camera recording the adventures of three college graduates in Malaysia. Sheriff (Vince Vaughn), nicknamed that because his real name, John Volgecherev, is too hard to pronounce, is joined by his best friend Tony (David Conrad). Somewhere along the line, they picked up the environment-obsessed Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix). After five weeks of enjoying the natives, the fresh air, the warm water, and the cheap hashish, Tony and Sheriff decide to return back to New York. Of course, not before dispensing the hashish in a garbage can out back.

Flash-forward two years, Sheriff is holding a job as a limo driver who reveals the secret affairs of his famous clients to a reporter. Tony, on the other hand, is doing much better. He's engaged to be married and has a good job as a construction worker. Then comes Beth Eastern (Anne Heche) who tells both of them that Lewis was caught with the hashish. Malaysian law states that anyone with over 100 grams of hashish is considered a trafficker (or dealer) and must be sentenced to death. Lewis was caught with 104. One week away from being hanged, Tony and Sheriff must now face their moral dilemma, which beomes our own as well: what do you do?

There are really only two answers to this question. One, return to Malaysia and take responsibility for their part of the drugs. Or two, stay away and allow their friend to die. If they both go, they would each receive three years jail time in a Third-World prison. If only one goes, he would receive six years. Tony is engaged and ready to settle down and start a family. Sheriff is more or less in a dead-end job with no future in sight. But while this may seem like it would have an obvious outcome, it's far from it. Each character has their own perspective on the situation, but neither can come to an easy solution.

Screenwriters Bruce Robinson and Wesley Strick have managed to completely stray away from the obvious and enter into territory that many film makers would dare not enter. The screenplay deals with the moral dilemmas extremely well, showing both pro and con sides fully. They even include a love story which may or may not be obtained under false pretenses. Sheriff and Beth make a good couple when they aren't fighting, but I think that the reason they get together is not for love, but for holding onto something familiar and supportive. None of the characters are dealing with the sudden decision to be made in a matter of days, and Beth may be having the hardest time with it. Also, surprisingly, the screenwriters include a very smart satire of modern-day journalism. By the end, all these themes collide together in a spectacular tour de force that is not likely to be forgotten for quite a while. And, more impressively, the screenwriters include many very subtle events in the beginning that turn out to be more than the characters can handle. Different relationships with certain people turn out to be for the worse.

Sometimes the film begins to dip into the melodramatic, but powerful actors can always make melodrama seem perfect. And if you want a great cast, look no further. Anne Heche continues to show the world that she is one of the most capable character-actors working today. Heche gives the best performance, balancing an emotionally-unstable woman with a lawyer completely focused on what her goal is. Vince Vaughn continues to impress with his talent. Of course, most of you know he'll be appearing in the much-criticized remake of Hitchcock's classic Psycho. But here, he maintains a sense of dignity as he gives the character more depth and compassion. By the end of the film, we can see his motives perfectly. David Conrad (recently seen in The Last Days of Disco) gives a great performance that most people will be able to identify with more quickly. But it's really Joaquin Phoenix who makes the film. Off screen for about half the film, he makes us care with him and then forces us to identify with the character. He's afraid of dying and won't go peacefully. In one emotional scene, he comments, "I feel guilty for even asking, but I'm asking anyway." And that's Jada Pinkett (Smith) as an eager reporter trying to get to the story before anyone else. Overall, this is one of the most powerful casts of the year.

Director Joseph Ruben is a sure-fire director who knows how to make these types of films. His direction is virtually seemless, even when using an 8mm camera. Ruben is trained at suspense with movies like Sleeping with the Enemy and The Good Son. But he's never really tried a drama of this type. It's a character-driven movie that relies on acting and the screenplay. The direction, however, actually adds to the mood of depression. His slow build up of suspense is rather a nice change for him, so please don't confuse this for a suspense film. It's not. Also aiding in the production is Mark Mancini who provides a haunting musical score. Reynaldo Villalobos's cinematography is superb, especially at capturing the gorgeous scenery. Even the costuming accentuates the particular moods, going from gorgeous colors at the beginning, to dreary and dark clothes in the end.

RETURN TO PARADISE is rated R for language, brief nudity, sex, some violence, and drug use. What would you do if you could save your friend's life? What if it required you to remain in prison for three years? This film asks those questions and never provides a simple answer. By the end of the film, we are completely drawn in by the rich characters. And then, during the final twenty minutes, the movie jumps into high gear and gives one of the most emotionally impressing and distressing moments of the year. This is one of the best films of 1998.