Return to Paradise (1998)

★★★★
Before he found his groove as a reliable comedic actor in the 2000s, Vince Vaughn starred in this little-seen and barely-remembered drama from 1998 about two friends who contemplate whether they should help a third friend in need. Return to Paradise premiered in the middle of the late '90s creative surge for mainstream and independent films and costarred the late Anne Heche, who was on a roll during this time with appearances in Six Days, Seven Nights, Gus Van Sant's Psycho and Volcano, while finding time to appear in I Know What You Did Last Summer in a small role. Vaughn himself had recently appeared in Swingers and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, knocking on the door to stardom and proving here he could carry an emotionally heavy narrative.

Sheriff (Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) go on vacation to Malaysia and spend time with their buddy Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix), who lives on Penang Island. It's the kind of excursion one might expect with men their age, with the nightlife and drinking the main distractions. When it comes time to leave, Sheriff and Tony bid Lewis farewell and head back to the States. Three years pass. Sheriff is a limo driver in New York City who delightfully explains to clients that his car is one of the last places left in the city that permits smoking. Tony is engaged. Life is good, until Beth Eastern (Heche) steps into Sheriff's limo and introduces herself. She's a lawyer who represents Lewis. He's been in a Malaysian jail the last three years after the police found drugs on his property. They were prompted to search him because Sheriff threw a bicycle into the jungle, which led to a complaint by the owner and eventually a visit by the police.

Her offer is simple. They both travel back to Malaysia to face charges. If they both agree, they'll get a light sentence. If only one returns, the sentence is longer. If neither returns, then Lewis will be executed. They are not being extradited, so they have no legal obligation to return. Much of the movie concerns their debating over whether they should return or stay home. Yes, Lewis is their friend, but the prospect of sitting in a Malaysian prison doesn't make the choice easy. If they've seen Midnight Express, then they are no doubt skeptical of the conditions found in overseas prisons, fair or not. Sheriff puts up the biggest resistance. He has to use reason and search within himself for the humanity needed to make the sacrifice. He believes he may not have it in him. Tony is open to the idea, much to his fiancée's chagrin. After much deliberation and self-reflection, the men decide to return to paradise and help their friend.

Even upon arrival in Malaysia, their loyalty is tested. Complications emerge. The movie makes their hesitation understandable, and that is key. On the surface, we might be inclined to call their decision to help Lewis a no-brainer, and no other choice will suffice. In a perfect world, that would certainly be the case, but this isn't a perfect world. There's a revelation that occurs, and this revelation throws a simple deal into disarray. Sheriff and Tony care about Lewis, but that may not be enough now. The challenge that the story set out for itself is to meet our desire for fairness with a situation that warrants our understanding if they don't go through with the plan, and in doing so condemn their friend to the gallows. Turning themselves in might not be the right move given the circumstances. That is why this movie works so well. It takes what should be a logical decision and turns it into a difficult one.

I give lots of praise to 1999's output and even dedicated a page on my website to that year, but the previous year was stacked with its own powerful lineup. Saving Private Ryan was the favorite to win Best Picture at the Oscar's until it was upset by Shakespeare in Love, which was remarkable in its own way. Martin Scorsese placed The Thin Red Line at #2 on his list of best '90s films (behind The Horse Thief), so there definitely was no consensus that Saving Private Ryan was the best of the year. Roger Ebert's pick was Dark City. My own pick was the Merchant Ivory production of A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. I could name a dozen titles that I remember fondly from 1998, and among them is Return to Paradise, a powerful drama that explores the difficult choice its characters must make and finds justification whether they do it or not.

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