A Perfect World (1993)

In 1963 Texas, convicts Robert “Butch” Haynes and Terry Pugh escape from the state penitentiary in Huntsville. Fleeing, Pugh stumbles into a house where eight-year-old Phillip Perry lives with his devout Jehovah’s Witness mother and two sisters. Butch follows, and hits Pugh to make him stop molesting the mother. Needing a hostage to aid their escape, Butch grabs the boy, who meekly accompanies them. The trio’s journey soon hits an unpleasant note as Butch kills Terry, following the latter’s attempt to harm the child. With his partner out of the way, the convict and his young victim take to the Texas highway in an attempt to flee from the pursuing police.

Meanwhile, Texas Ranger Red Garnett is in pursuit. With criminologist Sally Gerber and FBI sharpshooter Bobby Lee in tow, Red is determined to recover the criminal and the hostage before they cross the Texas border. Also, Red reveals to Sally that he has a personal interest in apprehending Butch alive. Even though Butch doesn’t realize it, Red has a history with him. When Butch was a teenager, he stole a car, and Red was the arresting officer. Butch was living with his abusive father, also a criminal, at the time. Due to his age and it being a first offense, Butch was supposed to get a lenient sentence.