This well acted, intense drama is worth seeing on two counts:

1) The excellent performances by Lewis (Phoenix) and Beth (Ann Heche)

2) The uncompromising and original plot.

Three young men decide to party in Malaysia, leaving one of them, a Greenpeace activist, behind after two years. He is sentenced to hang for a drug charge; only his two friends who have returned to America can save him.

Not a car chase in sight, but the tension is high. The unexpected, emotion-filled ending is both gratifying and sad. I recommend this film with eight (8) stars.

In Malaysia, three men have fun fornicating with local women, drinking booze and smoking hashish. When their extended vacation ends, limo driver Vince Vaughn (as John "Sheriff" Volgecherev) and architect David Conrad (as Tony Croft) return to New York. Environmentally conscious Joaquin Phoenix (as Lewis "Lew" McBride) decides to stay and work with endangered orangutans. Two years later, Mr. Vaughn is approached by attractive blonde lawyer Anne Heche (as Beth McBride). She tells Vaughn that, after he left Malaysia, local police arrested Mr. Phoenix for drug possession...

Phoenix has spent two years in prison and will be hanged in eight days. However, if Vaughn returns to serve his "share" of the time, Phoenix will be permitted to live. Also, if Ms. Heche can get both Vaughn and Mr. Conrad to return to Malaysia and serve time in prison, they can split the six year sentence; then, each man is expected to serve three years. Since Phoenix has already served two years, perhaps the Vaughn and Conrad should also serve two...

Of course, this is an absurd scenario. By offering this deal, the Malaysian authorities have acknowledged Phoenix is not solely responsible for the crime (or a drug "dealer"). They accept the three men were partners; apparently; they only question whether or not Phoenix's friends will appear in court. When considering their options, Vaughn and Conrad should have decided to immediately involve US diplomats and officials in this blatantly dubious proposal...

Since we're expected to buy the premise, we are watching to see whether Vaughn and Conrad accept their responsibility. Phoenix has a fun role for an actor, act like a stoner and become slightly unhinged in prison. Conrad gets to telegraph inner conflicts, but he and Phoenix are not the focus. Vaughn is really the leading player, with Heche his co-star. They and director Joseph Ruben do all right with the material they are given, but there is no great moral anguish on display. Unfortunately, there is a shift from "morality tale" to "love story" - not unexpected, but it becomes too dominant.

***** Return to Paradise (8/10/98) Joseph Ruben ~ Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix, David Conrad

Sheriff and Tony are taking a hedonistic holiday in Penang, Malaysia. Hooking up with friend of the Earth, Lewis McBride they have a wonderful time and bonds are well and truly formed. Come the time for Sheriff and Tony to return to America, they leave Lewis their respective blocks of Hasish as gifts. The name Lewis McBride is forgotten by both men until two years later a lawyer turns up in New York to tell them both some startling news. After the boys left Penang, the police searched their beach house and found the Hashish, the volume of which got him arrested for drug trafficking. A crime punishable by death by Malaysian law. In 8 days time, Lewis, who has been locked up in dreadful Penang prison for two years, will be hung unless both the guys go back to Penang and accept their responsibility for the Hashish. An acceptance that will get each of them 3 years prison themselves.

Return To Paradise is a remake of a little known and seen French film from Pierre Jolivet called Force majeure. Throwing up a deep moral quandary and no small amount of surprises, it may just be one of the most undervalued films from the 90s. Starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jolivet's story gnaws away at the audience as it forces the issue at hand. Namely what would you do in the same situation? To save a friends life are you prepared to spend three years in a notoriously dank and desperate hell hole? Tho the piece is emotionally loaded in favour of doing what most would deem the right thing, the makers sucker us in, only to then steer us in other directions with a triple hander of a finale. There is also the impact of the press here, something that is crucial to the plot, and it's something that thankfully isn't glossed over. This really is a tightly constructed picture.

Vaughn {Sheriff}shows some great dramatic chops, it's refreshing to see him away from frat pack comedy shenanigans. Heche {Beth}looks gorgeous and gives her character real depth, while Phoenix as the imprisoned Lewis is heartbreakingly real. Not faring so well is Pinkett Smith as pesky reporter M.J. Major. Tho only a small part, it's really hard to accept her as a tough reporter who can get things done. Worthy of a mention is the cinematography by Reynaldo Villalobos, the shift in tones he uses between Malaysia to America is very smart and forces the issue of two completely different cultures. This is after all not just about a dilemma, it's also about differing laws on different continents. I found this film to be an emotional roller-coaster that stayed with me for some time after. It's hoped that more people will seek it out and get as much emotion and cranial ponderings from it that I most assuredly did. 8/10