Return to Paradise
MCA/Universal Pictures | Release Date: August 14, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The director, Joseph Ruben ("The Stepfather," "Sleeping With the Enemy"), uses a kind of flat, logical storytelling that leads us inexorably toward his conclusions. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsDave Kehr
Directed with great skill and intelligence by Joseph Ruben, Return to Paradise, is a rare thing among today's movies a drama of conscience. [14 Aug1 998, Pg.51]
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Return to Paradise is "Midnight Express" remade from the outside, as existential quandary. It has the moody, disquieting undertow of a true moral thriller. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
Return to Paradise doesn't boast many surprises. It's straight-on, morally uncomplicated. Emotionally, though, it's dense and twisty -- and smashingly potent. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
None of the moral ramifications of this dilemma is avoided, and to the film’s credit the behavior of the American press seems more questionable than the machinations of third-world justice. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The film's ending is a little unanticipated, and, although there are a few too many surprise revelations in the last 20 minutes, they all work reasonably well to enhance, rather than diminish, the central theme. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
A potential problem with the movie is that it can be a challenge watching people hand-wringing over moral decisions. But the acting is so good that it makes it worth sticking with during the slow patches. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
This movie has a first-rate script, and director Joseph Ruben ( "True Believer," "The Stepfather" ) knew exactly what to do with it. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
As returns go, Return To Paradise falls short of heavenly, but it does get to the stars -- at least three of them. Read full review
70
Film ThreatAnthony Miele
Although there are a few other flaws in the film (flaws that will not be mentioned since it would give away major plot points) and the lack of character development is a major oversight by the filmmakers, Return to Paradise still manages to grip you until the fateful ending, an ending that is very powerful and must be witnessed to be believed. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Despite solid performances from the leads, it comes shrouded in a heavy cloud of ethics-class complications that makes it feel like a "dilemma of the week" TV movie. Read full review
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