Movies Reviews

The Next Three Days – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Nov 18, 2010, 0:30 GMT

Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a gruesome murder she says she didn\'t commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence.  With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: ...more

Russell Crowe’s back from a bit of a lull in this taut, compelling film and role worthy of his powerful persona.  He’s a man on a mission and he’s terrific.  He plays John Brennan whose wife, Laura (Elizabeth Banks) is arrested and jailed for murder.
 
The boss who just fired Laura is found bludgeoned to death in a darkened park and her swift temper is revealed off the top of the movie in a nasty fight with a woman she thinks is making moves on John. 

Flash forward, John and their son visit Laura in prison where she will be spending the rest of her life.  The appeals have run out and there is no hope of a miracle. 

But John isn’t deterred.  He redoubles his efforts to do something, anything, hitting the wall again and again.  But things pay off when he stumbles on the story of a man (Liam Neeson) who escaped prison seven times.

He meets the man and tapes their conversation.  He’s told a prison break will take a lot of money; it could traumatize their child and kill all of them.  John embarks on this mission and finds himself in the midst of a good, old fashioned obsession that takes over his every thought and deed. 
He pictures freeing Laura and quitting the US to live in remote place where they can start fresh.  He figures its fair because she is innocent; they’ve been railroaded by the justice system.  His obsession is so overwhelming that Laura tells him she was guilty, just to stop the madness. 

At home, he covers walls with his intricate plans, maps, bank balance information, time charts, driving routes, the works.  It seems bullet proof but he is driven to perfect, perfect, perfect.

He is either delusional or a saint, driven by love and putting himself at serious risk. 

John takes people into his confidence, his father, and a woman he meets, without actually saying anything.  It’s an impressive result of Crowe’s performance and Haggis’ writing and direction that they manage to give John fail safes without having him endanger them.

Elizabeth Banks is especially effective as Laura.  She has toned down considerably here so we can actually see her work and recognize her character’s emotional journey. 

This role should be an important turning point in her career.  And it’s great to see Brian Dennehy as John’s silent and disapproving father. The man has gravity.

But Russell Crowe is the force that drives the movie.  He’s back in movie star territory, doing a formidable job that could see him nominated come awards season. 

Haggis has created an intensely visceral universe inside John’s head.  The journey he’s on is difficult and exhilarating at times, and we feel every bump in the road.  It’s some kind of movie magic; it’s truthful and honestly examines the nature of our emotions and our animal instinct to escape danger. 

It’s not perfect, but it is an exciting, moving and unusually realistic couple of hours.

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35mm drama
Written by Paul Haggis, Fred Cavaye, Guillaume Lemans
Directed by Paul Haggis
Opens: Nov 19
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violence, drug material, language, some sexuality and thematic elements
Runtime:
Country: US
Language: English