GamerTab That was an excellent one.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

bombersflyup The Next Three Days is an exemplary film, ticking every box a film can tick. Russell Crowe showcases why he is one of the best in the business and Elizabeth Banks is terrific also.It is a romance in the action thriller form, which is quite rare. The only other film in this form of this quality I can think of would be "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." It is intense, thrilling, extremely heartfelt and wonderfully acted. Love it! John: Just shut up. I don't care what you say... or how you say it. I know who you are. I know what you're capable of. And I promise you... this will not be your life.

James Movies that devote much of their time to detailed preparations for major crimes have always got up my nose, big-time, but "The Next Three Days" from Canadian Paul Haggis (who directed and screenwrote) is in a somewhat different class, thanks to its deployment of Russell Crowe in full single-minded obsessive mode (a la "Noah" or "Water Diviner" both in fact released 4 years after this movie). Here he's good-guy teacher John Brennan, whose commitment to his wife Laura is so great and unswerving that - as the book this film was based on puts it, he'll do "Anything for Her". And a bright guy who's also utterly determined can indeed get up to pretty much anything. But for that to work, we have to have a romance-cum-symbiosis between the husband and wife, and here a sublimely attractive, but even-more-gorgeous-below-the-surface Elizabeth Banks carries that off just beautifully. Somehow we viewers can just feel the sparks of chemistry that fly between the pair when they meet up, most especially at visiting times in the Allegheny Jail.This by the way makes it all the more devastating when John's meticulous (and largely unlawful) plans to break his wife out might conceivably be derailed, not by any external factors or technical difficulties, but by a moment of despair and anger from his other half that makes her try to persuade him she's actually guilty of the crime she's been locked up for. This is a good twist, as it externalises her feeling of guilt over how her incarceration has ruined their family life, but also her recognition that his devotion and loyalty to her probably exceeds hers for him, or indeed pretty much anything anyone can think of! She is tired of being married to a Saint, and wants to put him off. But of course he's in so deep, and the plan now means so much to him, that it matters not. He can't, won't believe she's guilty, and that's that.The idea that the police might somehow cotton on to what Brennan is planning is a touch far-fetched, but this opens up the film greatly (at just the right point) and also gives us the chance to see Lennie James in action as the Lieutenant - always a pleasure. Several other police staff do their portrayals well enough here likewise. Of course, teacher Brennan has to learn how jailbreaks can be achieved from someone, and who better than Liam Neeson in a cameo as an author whose claim to fame is describing how he himself got out (only to give himself up again at the end)? The shortlist of tips this guy offers in a few minutes forms the basis for a large chunk of John Brennan's life, and the meticulousness with which the scheme is set up is matched by the meticulous arranging of the film. The lovely Olivia Wilde is also in there, ostensibly to ensure that the Brennans' kid is at a party at Pittsburgh Zoo at the vital moment, leaving the dilemma of being together as couple or a full family writ large; but actually also serving to make it clear to us all that nothing/nobody can tempt John away from Laura.The great Brian Dennehy also has his part to play as John's father George, but boy do we have to wait for him to make his move! For what seems like an age he's saying and doing pretty much nothing; but then there's a vital, beautiful, if short couple of scenes in there at the end which allow yet another actor's integrity to shine through in this movie. If John has some fundamental understanding of his wife, so - at this moment - does tough-guy father George feel and understand and appreciate and praise exactly what his son is getting up to. And all achieved with hardly a word said!Few but Dennehy could have got that right, and it's a pleasure to watch him do so. In short, very little is left to chance in this film, and that really pays its dividends in delivering us a taut and meaningful crime thriller, but also a supremely romantic piece of storytelling. We envy (if slightly also fear) Brennan's feelings for his Laura, which go beyond love into some visceral need or addiction - he simply cannot exist as a whole human being while she is imprisoned. Indeed, this is even reflected cleverly in the filming, with colour only really making itself felt at the beginning, and again in the final half hour or so. In between, all is dark and dull and desperate, if of course supremely focused on Brennan's task in hand, which he pursues without fear, in the face of all possible odds.This is a fine piece of work that hasn't aged a bit in 8 years, and will pay both watching and rewatching.

cinemajesty Movie Review: "The Next Three Days" (2010)Initially being known in Hollywood as screenwriter of fixing high-end production toward decisive story twists, director Paul Haggis presents a fast-tracked U.S. remake of the French thriller "Pour Elle" (2008) in November 2010 to minor success at the domestic box office, even though the leading character John Brennan, performed by nerve-striking actor Russell Crowe, ready to give up everything for self-justice as suggested in an unfortunately cut-up scene with supporting actor Liam Neeson in a coffee shop, who explains the overall necessities of choosing a life on a run in order to bust out Brennan's wife from prison, portrayed by stone-cold chemistry unmatching actress Elizabeth Banks as Lara Brennan, in an accelerating thriller with an mainly hand-held coverage by cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine, who had been unable to stand apart with competent, yet indifferent lighting themes, which comes down to Paul Haggis' direction under pressure, missing out to find poetry in the visuals as in earlier directing efforts, despite one on highway climatic crash scene, where the leading characters answer the subjected question of what it takes to escape the ruins of an deceased family life.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

gtylerpayne When it comes to thrilling action movies, this one really had it all for me. It is VERY suspenseful, and maintains a good pace throughout. And not only is it thrilling, but it also gave me lots to think about long after the credits rolled.Russell Crowe plays John, a man whose wife is convicted of murder. He is convinced that she is innocent and becomes determined to break her out of jail. This creates a lot of suspenseful situations as soon as he starts to prepare. It got me thinking about a lot of things, including the moral dilemmas John faces.There is a great Liam Neeson cameo where he gives John advice, since he has escaped from prison several times before. He warns John of the intense hurdles and sacrifices he will have to make, so I very quickly realized that the stakes and risk are very high if he goes through with it. The fact that I don't know if the wife is actually innocent or not, adds another layer of depth to the story. I was left trying to decide if John is making the right choice to break her out, which forced me to try and decide if she actually did it. Being so unsure how to feel, it really drew me in, and got me paying attention to every little detail in the movie. Haggis is great at throwing in little clues and nuances in the performances that made me question and re-think things.John is obviously a good guy, so I was rooting for him to succeed, but it is hard to know how to really feel about his character. Russell Crowe is great at playing characters that seem slightly insane, and it's hard to decide just how crazy he really is. They have a son, around 10 years old, and this makes his decisions all the more important. He is risking leaving this kid with both parents in jail if he screws up, but it will also re-unite the kid with his mother, who may be innocent.Overall, it is a very clever movie that is well crafted. The biggest strong point for me is really the script. It's a smart script that is well thought through. I can tell that Haggis understands what the viewer will be thinking and feeling during the experience and he times things perfectly to make for a fun, exciting, and thoughtful experience.Beside the writing, the acting was also very good. Russell Crowe brought a lot of depth to the character. The only criticism I have is that it is somewhat hard to believe that he would actually do this. He seems like a little bit too soft and reserved of a character to do these things, but in a way, that adds to the suspense because it makes us more unsure if he will pull it off. Elizabeth Banks is pretty good as the wife. I'm a little unsure how to feel about her performance. My main problem with her is that I didn't really like her character very much, she comes across as a bitch. I understand why that needs to be an element of her performance, but I would have liked to learn a little more about her positive traits to understand why John loves her so much. I think a few tweaks to her character development and a little more edge to John's character, could have increased how believable the story is. The only other criticism I can think of, is that Haggis clearly is a great writer who understands the story and did a fabulous job directing the actors and their actions, but there is not a lot of creativity or style in the way things were filmed. The camera work and cinematography was mostly pretty straight forward, and I would have liked to see a little more creativity in that department. Maybe some extreme close-ups, or interesting angles and framing. I would have liked to see Haggis hire a cinematographer that brought a little more to the table to make this movie a great visual experience in addition to being a great emotional experience.If you like intense movies that keep you on your toes and give you lots to think about, don't miss this one!