Two newlyweds realise that a vow to love one another ’till death us do part’ might be a lot sooner than they thought in writer-director David Twohy’s serpentine suspense thriller.

Cleverly scripted with a sly final-reel twist, A Perfect Getaway doesn’t quite live up to its title but this is a superior genre piece, neatly exploring the shifting perspectives of the main characters.

Once Twohy’s ingenious design is revealed, we’re forced to admit that we’ve been well and truly hoodwinked.

That’s not to say that he plays entirely fair – certain vital information is withheld until the revelations of a fast-paced final 20 minutes.

However, what the film does demonstrate is that, in the right hands, an audience’s expectations can be exploited to powerful effect and a single line of seemingly innocuous dialogue can have a delicious double meaning.

Gorgeous Puerto Rican vistas, which double for the film’s island locale of Kauai, Hawaii, certainly make us wish we were there, sheltering beneath lush canopies during a sudden downpour or soaking up the sun on golden beaches.

Just remember to pack a pickaxe in your rucksack: murder and deceit are extras on this package holiday.

Struggling Hollywood screenwriter Cliff (Steve Zahn) and his pretty wife Cydney (Milla Jovovich) arrive on Hawaii for their honeymoon, still clutching the video camera of testimonials from family and friends at their nuptials.

Heading into the wilderness, they encounter the menacing Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and his girlfriend Cleo (Marley Shelton), who are angry when Cliff refuses to give them a lift.

Further down the road, Cliff and Cydney meet picture-perfect lovebirds Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), who seem too good to be true.

The tropical idyll is rocked by news of brutal murders on a neighbouring island and a police hunt for a man and a woman, believed to have perpetrated the heinous crimes.

‘I think we’ll have to ride this thing out,’ Cliff tells his petrified wife, fearful that the killers are one of the couples they have encountered along the way.

As Cliff and Cydney venture deeper into the jungle, unable to get a signal on their mobile phones, paranoia and fear gradually take hold.

A Perfect Getaway keeps us guessing until the final act when all of the pent-up tension explodes with an action-packed finale and the spilling of blood.

Zahn and Jovovich are instantly likable as the couple caught in a nightmare situation that spirals wildly out of control, with strong supporting performances from Olyphant and Sanchez as the enigmatic travellers who seem awfully adept at gutting and skinning a goat.

From the moment a nameless female backpacker chirps, ‘Nothing bad ever happens in Hawaii, right?’, the die is cast and it’s only a matter of time before a dream vacation becomes the holiday to hell.

• Release Date: Friday 14 August 2009
• Certificate: 15
• Runtime: 97mins

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