Wikipedia

Paradise City (film)

Paradise City is a 2022 American action film directed by Chuck Russell and written by Russell, Corey Large, and Edward John Drake. It stars Bruce Willis and John Travolta.

Paradise City
Official release poster
Directed byChuck Russell
Written by
Produced byCorey Large
Starring
CinematographyAustin F. Schmidt
Edited byPeter Devaney Flanagan
Music bySam Ewing
Production
company
308 Entertainment
Distributed bySaban Films
Release date
  • November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)
Running time
94 minutes[1][2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$93,526[3]

The film was released by Saban Films in limited theaters and VOD on November 11, 2022, followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on December 20, 2022.

Plot

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When bounty hunter Ian Swan is shot and presumed dead after disappearing in Maui waters, Swan's son, Ryan, his ex-partner, and a local detective set out to find his killers. After being threatened by a ruthless power broker, it appears Ryan and his team are out of options — until an excursion to the closely guarded island community of Paradise City unites them with an unforeseen ally.[4]

Cast

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Paradise City stars John Travolta and Bruce Willis.

Production

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In 2006, co-writer and producer Corey Large came up with the idea to reunite actors Bruce Willis and John Travolta, who both starred in Pulp Fiction (1994). Paradise City was announced twenty-seven years later in May 2021.[7][8][9] Filming began on May 17, 2021, in Maui, Hawaii, and wrapped after three weeks.[10] Maui County Film Commissioner Tracy Bennett said, "Usually on a big action movie like [Paradise City], it takes about three months of prep — and they did it in two weeks. There were some restrictions on this one because of the short notice where they could not film exactly where they wanted to or what they wanted to so they were constantly re-writing the script."[11] Stephen Dorff and Blake Jenner were announced to star in June.[12] Paradise City is one of the last films to star Willis, who retired from acting because he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.[13][14]

Release

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Paradise City was released by Saban Films in limited theaters and VOD on November 11, 2022,[5][15] followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on December 20, 2022.[16]

Box office

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As of March 2, 2023, Paradise City grossed $93,526 in Russia, Lithuania, and the United Arab Emirates.[3]

Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.4/10.[1] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 31 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[17]

Glenn Kenny, of The New York Times, gave a scathing review, saying it "sounds like one of those fake movies joked about on Seinfeld or 30 Rock. And yet Paradise City is a reality of sorts, albeit an uncomfortable reality."[18] Noel Murray, of the Los Angeles Times, gave the film a negative review, commenting on the film's "TV-cop-show-level stuff, shot in some of Hawaii's least scenic locations. The stars can't save it."[19] Todd Jorgenson, of Cinemalogue, also gave a negative review, highlighting that "despite its capable cast, the film never generates much suspense amid a parade of cliched genre twists."[20] Robert Kojder, of Flickering Myth, gave the film a 1.5/5 rating, writing "audiences will be begging, "oh, won't you please take me home.""[21] Casey Chong, of Casey's Movie Mania, gave a 1/5 rating, summarizing the film as "painful, tedious and worst of all, relies heavily on expository-heavy scenarios to drive the movie forward."[22] Leo Brady, of A Movie Guy, also gave a one star rating, explaining that the film "has a capable cast working with a script that was concocted overnight. At best it feels like a free paid trip to Hawaii for everyone involved."[23] Brian Orndorf, of Blu-ray.com, rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, saying "the stars are here to enjoy a Hawaiian vacation and trade a few lines of dialogue. Screen intensity is not encouraged."[24] Jeffrey M. Anderson, of Common Sense Media, also gave a 2 star rating, concluding that "beautiful Hawaiian locations, a veteran genre director, and nostalgic stunt casting can't overcome the general low energy level and lazy attitude that permeate this crime drama from start to finish."[25]

In a rare positive review, Owen Gleiberman, of Variety, said " I'm not sure if what Willis, Travolta, and Dorff do here rises to what you'd call integrity, but all three seem to be enjoying themselves. They slum with style."[6] Brittany Witherspoon, of Screen Rant, wrote in a mixed review, "the film contains entertaining components, but these elements quickly run their course thanks to a predictable script, wonky dialogue & pacing issues."[26] Mark Hanson, of Slant Magazine, praised John Travolta's performance, but otherwise criticized the film for not "living up to its title."[27] Josh Bell, of Crooked Marquee, gave the film a "C-", saying, "the occasional flashes of competence only make the rest of Paradise City more disheartening, though, and just because it's slightly less of a slog than Willis' other recent work doesn't mean it's worth watching."[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "'Paradise City' (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "'Paradise City' (2022)". The Numbers. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "'Paradise City' (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Billington, Alex (October 12, 2022). "Crime Thriller 'Paradise City' Trailer with John Travolta & Bruce Willis". First Showing. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d McArdle, Tommy (October 11, 2022). "Watch Bruce Willis and John Travolta Face Off in Hawaii in 'Paradise City' Trailer". People.com. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (November 12, 2022). "'Paradise City' Review: In a Junk Crime Flick, John Travolta Plays a Baddie and Bruce Willis Isn't Bad". Variety.
  7. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 14, 2021). "Bruce Willis & John Travolta To Reteam For First Time Since Pulp Fiction In Paradise City; Praya Lundberg Also Stars". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Fernández, Alexia (May 14, 2021). "John Travolta and Bruce Willis Are Reuniting for New Film Paradise City 27 Years After Pulp Fiction". People. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 4, 2021). "Paradise City: Stephen Dorff & Blake Jenner Also Starring In John Travolta & Bruce Willis Reteam". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  10. ^ Nugent, Annabel (May 17, 2021). "Bruce Willis and John Travolta to reunite on screen for first time since Pulp Fiction". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Pells, JD (June 15, 2021). "Maui Film Industry Reels Up in 2021: John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Guy Fieri, HBO, Hallmark and More". Maui Now. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 4, 2021). "Paradise City: Stephen Dorff & Blake Jenner Also Starring In John Travolta & Bruce Willis Reteam". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Rosenbloom, Alli (February 16, 2023). "Bruce Willis' family shares an update on his health and new diagnosis". CNN. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  14. ^ James, Meg; Kaufman, Amy (March 30, 2022). "Concerns about Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Remley, Hilary (October 12, 2022). "Bruce Willis Hunts John Travolta in Action-Packed 'Paradise City' Trailer". Collider. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  16. ^ "Paradise City". New DVD Release Dates. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  17. ^ "Paradise City". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Kenny, Glenn (November 10, 2022). "'Paradise City' Review: John Travolta and Bruce Willis Reunite". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Murray, Noel (November 11, 2022). "Review: Willie Mays swings away on HBO Max, and Cartoon Saloon's fifth feature lands on Netflix". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Jorgenson, Todd (November 11, 2022). "Capsule reviews for Nov. 11". Cinemalogue. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  21. ^ Kojder, Robert (November 7, 2022). "Movie Review – Paradise City (2022)". Flickering Myth. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Chong, Casey (November 13, 2022). "Paradise City (2022) Review". Casey's Movie Mania. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  23. ^ Brady, Leo (November 18, 2022). "Paradise City review". A Movie Guy. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  24. ^ Orndorf, Brian (November 8, 2022). "Paradise City review". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  25. ^ Anderson, Jeffrey M. (November 15, 2022). "Paradise City Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  26. ^ Witherspoon, Brittany (November 10, 2022). "'Paradise City' Review: Willis & Travolta Reunite In Disappointing Action Thriller". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  27. ^ Hanson, Mark (November 7, 2022). "Paradise City Review: John Travolta Comes to Play in Chuck Russell's Inept Schlockfest". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  28. ^ Bell, Josh (November 10, 2022). "Review: Paradise City". Crooked Marquee. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
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