Blu-ray Review: A Perfect World (1993)

Sometimes it’s the most unlikely of people who have the most profound impact on us. In the case of Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), an eight-year-old Jehovah’s Witness boy from a small Texas suburb, his life is forever changed once two escaped convicts break into his mother’s home and wind up taking the young lad along as a hostage. While one of these two criminals (Keith Szarabajka) is the very epitome of malevolence, the other — Robert “Butch” Haynes (Kevin Costner) — is simply the byproduct of being born on the wrong side of the tracks: a man whose heart in the right place, but whose emotions aren’t.

And thus begins A Perfect World, the 1993 hit from director Clint Eastwood, who also gives himself second-billing as a Red Garnett — a no-nonsense maverick Texas Ranger who, for some unknown reason, does not have a Texas accent. Commandeering the Governor’s trailer to turn it into a mobile manhunt station, Red consistently butts heads with a willful female criminologist (Laura Dern, who was a staple in movies around this point in time) while he attempts to track down the fugitives and their hostage. Meanwhile, Butch allows his newfound friend to experience life with a sense of freedom that he has never experienced before.

Director Clint Eastwood commands a marvelous performance from his lead star (who was at the height of his career then) marvelously, though, after having made movies like Waterworld and The Postman in the years following A Perfect World, it’s almost hard to believe that Kevin Costner was ever a highly celebrated and professional actor. Thankfully, Warner’s recent High-Def release of this catalogue title to Blu-ray will permit everyone to rekindle what made him so appealing to everyone many years ago.

Likewise, Warner’s Blu-ray boasts a truly beautiful 1080p presentation accompanied by a fantastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Several additional soundtracks are provided in French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, and there are ten different subtitle tracks included here, leading one to wonder whether or not this is a Region Free release. Sadly, the only special feature to be found here is a Standard-Definition theatrical trailer, but this is a good enough film to warrant a purchase regardless.