Return to Paradise Poster

Return to Paradise (1998)

R 08/10/1998 Drama, Thriller, Romance 1h 49m
65%
User
Score
6.9/10
70%
56/100

Give up three years of their lives or give up the life of their friend. They have eight days to decide.

Overview

Lewis, Sheriff and Tony are three friends vacationing in Malaysia. Sheriff and Tony eventually leave to pursue careers in New York, but Lewis stays behind to work with orangutans. Two years later, Sheriff and Tony learn that, because of their past actions, Lewis has been arrested for drug possession. With Lewis facing a death sentence, the friends are left with a difficult decision: return to Malaysia and split Lewis' sentence, or let him die.

Joseph Ruben

Director

Wesley Strick

Screenplay

Bruce Robinson

Screenplay

Top Billed Cast

Vince Vaughn

Vince Vaughn

John 'Sheriff' Volgecherev

Anne Heche

Anne Heche

Beth Eastern

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

Lewis McBride

David Conrad

David Conrad

Tony Croft

Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith

M.J. Major

Vera Farmiga

Vera Farmiga

Kerrie

Nick Sandow

Nick Sandow

Ravitch

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Gaby

Ming Lee

Ming Lee

Mr. Chandran

Full Cast & Crew →

Media

The Heartbreaking Prison Visit

The Heartbreaking Prison Visit

Trailer

Trailer

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Reviews

A review by Wuchak

Written on January 15, 2022

_**Great moral conundrum and message, but too contrived**_

"Return to Paradise" (1998) is about three Americans in Malaysia. Two of them are friends from New York City (Vincent Vaughn and David Conrad) and the other they meet there, an environmental-hippie type (Joaquin Phoenix). The three have a great time partying together and then the two from New York go back to the grind in the USA. Two years later they find out that their friend in Malaysia has been in prison for having too much hashish, which the three purchased together. Due to the country's severe drug laws, those considered traffickers are put to death and, unfortunately, the hippie possessed beyond the limit. He'll hang in eight days unless the other two go back and they'll all get 3 years in prison; if only one goes back it'...

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