A Perfect World (1993)

Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T. J. Lowther, Leo Burmester, Keith Szarabajka, Bradley Whitford, Paul Hewitt, Jennifer Griffin, Wayne Dehart, Ray McKinnon, Mary Alice, Bruce McGill, John M. Jackson. [PG-13]

Thoughtful and troubling examination of criminology, violence, father-son bonds, and inheritance of sinful behavior presented as a cops-and-criminals chase picture, even though the pursuer exhibits an almost wry detachment to his job, and the pursued rarely acts desperate or committed in his escape. In perhaps the most potent and persuasive performance of his career, Costner plays an escaped convict who sheds himself of his accomplice (Szarabajka) and takes a meek young boy (Lowther) hostage, a child that he bonds with on the road; Texas Ranger Eastwood is in charge of tracking the fugitive down, traveling with a small team that includes a loquacious criminologist (Dern) and a merciless sharpshooter (Whitford). Though short on tenacity while coursing along at a measured pace, there are enough small but significant details and compelling vignettes to seize interest throughout, and wind up with plenty to chew on afterward. The scenes with Eastwood and his crew don’t always land (did we really need to emphasize that Whitford’s character is a slimeball by having him leer and breathe all over Dern?), but until the final segment, they’re curtailed in favor of the more riveting material with the con and the kid. Written by John Lee Hancock, and shot across several Texas locations.

81/100