Return to Paradise is a 1998 American drama-thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben, written by Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson, and starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, and Joaquin Phoenix.

A young lawyer named Beth informs them that their friend Lewis has spent the last two years in Penang prison in Malaysia, because of hash found at their Malaysian house.

After a gruelling eight days, during which they must make a decision, Beth and Sheriff begin a heated love affair, and both men decide to return to Malaysia.

The judge seems heartened by this act of courage, until he discovers a news clipping from an American newspaper blaming the Malaysian justice system and condemning them for their harsh sentencing of Lewis.

Beth tells him that the attorney general has said that the Malaysian government will quietly release him within six months, once the media attention dies down, to save face.

Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn were cast in the three leading roles of Beth Eastern, Lewis McBride and John "Sheriff" Volgecherev, respectively.

Principal photography began in November 1997, in locations including New York City, Philadelphia, Hong Kong, Phuket and Macau.

"[6] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "As Sheriff, Mr. Vaughn projects a deep-seated skepticism and chilliness that give the story its suspense; he seems quite capable of keeping his distance and leaving Lewis to die.

But as Ms. Heche's formidable Beth Eastern does her best to manipulate the other characters on Lewis's behalf, Return to Paradise takes on the abstract weightiness of an ethical debate rather than the visceral urgency of a thriller.

Though the clock ticks relentlessly enough to sustain the story's tension, the film finally seems to be a character study in search of a gripping plot.

"[7] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave a negative review, writing: "If it's to be experienced at all, Return to Paradise is best seen as a lively piece of pulp, not a profound exploration of the vagaries of the human soul.