With director Eastwood Oscar-hot from Unforgiven and star Costner hit-hot from The Bodyguard and JFK, 1993's A Perfect World should've been a smash. Yet there's a darkness to the story of possibly psychotic boy-befriending recidivist Costner that simply killed the movie at the box office. On re-examination, it's a fascinating film, a blatant conflict of arch American sentimentality and subversive menace. And Costner's great in it, too.
With director Eastwood Oscar-hot from Unforgiven and star Costner hit-hot from The Bodyguard and JFK, 1993’s A Perfect World should’ve been a smash. Yet there’s a darkness to the story of possibly psychotic boy-befriending recidivist Costner that simply killed the movie at the box office. On re-examination, it’s a fascinating film, a blatant conflict of arch American sentimentality and subversive menace. And Costner’s great in it, too.
