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A Perfect World

A Perfect World

Drama · Crime · 1993

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor: an escaped convict on the run from the law, headed by an honorable U.S. Marshal.

Movie details

A Perfect World

“A convict. A cop. A hostage that will make one of them a hero.”

1993 Drama · Crime 2h 18m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor: an escaped convict on the run from the law, headed by an honorable U.S. Marshal.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Perfect World?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

No One Would Tell

No One Would Tell

Drama · 1996

Shy sixteen-year-old Stacy Collins can't believe that the most popular guy in school, an attractive athlete named Bobby Tennison, is interested in her. At first she is flattered by his constant attention, but then he becomes possessive and jealous-telling her who she can speak to and what she can wear. Threats escalate into violence when Bobby thinks Stacy has stepped out of line. Soon she is walking on egg shells and living in fear. Having seen the tell-tale bruises, Stacy's best friend convinces her to break things off with Bobby-but in a moment of weakness, Stacy goes to meet him. It will be the last time she is seen alive.

The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express

Crime · 1974

Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.

The Sunchaser

The Sunchaser

Drama · 1996

A young half-Navajo convict dying of cancer forces a yuppie doctor to drive him to a magic healing lake.

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter

Crime · 1955

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

Brute Force

Brute Force

Crime · 1947

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

Kansas City

Kansas City

Drama · 1996

A pair of kidnappings expose the complex power dynamics within the corrupt and unpredictable workings of 1930s Kansas City.

John Q

John Q

Drama · 2002

John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son's name on the donor's list.

The Parts You Lose

The Parts You Lose

Drama · 2019

An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.

Cahill: United States Marshal

Cahill: United States Marshal

Drama · 1973

J.D. Cahill is the toughest U.S. Marshal they've got, just the sound of his name makes bad guys stop in their tracks, so when his two young boy's want to get his attention they decide to rob a bank. They end up getting more than they bargained for.

She Made Them Do It

She Made Them Do It

TV Movie · 2012

"She Made Them Do It" follows the twisted life of Sarah Pender, a charismatic, intelligent young woman who would become one of the country’s most sought after fugitives.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Clint Eastwood

Written by

John Lee Hancock · Clint Eastwood

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner

Robert 'Butch' Haynes

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Chief Red Garnett

Laura Dern

Laura Dern

Sally Gerber

T.J. Lowther

T.J. Lowther

Phillip 'Buzz' Perry

Bradley Whitford

Bradley Whitford

Bobby Lee

Keith Szarabajka

Keith Szarabajka

Terry Pugh

Leo Burmester

Leo Burmester

Tom Adler

Court is in session

Put A Perfect World on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.