Clint Eastwood said he had not intended to act in his 1993 film A Perfect World, initially expecting only to direct it. Kevin Costner’s involvement helped persuade him to take the supporting role of Texas Ranger Red Garnett, creating the pair’s only on-screen collaboration and allowing Eastwood to direct a crime drama centred on Costner’s character.

The film follows escaped convict Butch Haynes, played by Costner, as he travels through 1963 Texas with an eight-year-old boy he has kidnapped, while Garnett leads the pursuit. Written by John Lee Hancock, it was released after Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Unforgiven and received positive notices, particularly for Costner’s performance, although it was not a major box-office success.