The Next Three Days
Written and Directed by Paul Haggis
Even though it may feel like 3 Days at times, the movie is only 122 minutes long...but a long 122 minutes.
Review **
The emasculation of Russell Crowe continues.
Like Harrison Ford before him, producers seem to want to take Crowe out of bold renegade roles we got to know him in and saddle him with a lovely wife and child he loves dearly and would do anything for. And one more thing that is responsible for making this movie a miserable box office failure: a Prius.
Steve McQueen...Mustang fastback. Clint Eastwood...Gran Torino. James Bond...Astin-Martin...Batman...Batmobile. Russell Crowe...grey Prius. Please.
Action stars do NOT drive hybrids. They do not press buttons to make their cars start silently. They do not get good mileage. They do not unrun other cars in their politically correct vehicle. The cars, like their drivers just KICK ASS.
But no, in this Crowe drives a Prius. His wife's Prius.
The new Camero just came out. Why isn't he driving it? The Challenger is a beast. There are any number of hot classic cars he could have been driving. Or they could have set it up that this '69 Chevy Malibu was being rebuilt in his garage so he had to drive his wife's Prius. Now that might have been funny.
But no, that would require more imagination than the filmmakers had. Or they used it all to create this ludicrous and at times tiresome story.
Though getting a bit doughy, Russell Crowe still has some star power and is cool in the big action sequence at the end and when he decides to get some money from some local thugs. He is ably supported by Brian Dennehy as his dad and Liam Neeson as a professional criminal he goes to for advice on how to spring his hot wife from stir.
Speaking of which, Elizabeth Banks makes one sexy wife but is not alone in her neckbone popping beauty. Here is where Haggis does best. Babe casting.
But as for the movie, while it has a few moments, it misses many obvious moments (when his kid ask him if his face hurts, and he says no, where is the standard kid retort "Well, its killing me!") thanks to their stupid effort to be politically correct and give Crowe a Prius, this film was doomed right from the start (button).
The Story
John Brennan (Russell Crowe) is a professor with a beautiful wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks) and a not very annoying kid (Ty Simpkins). They live in Pittsburgh. Suddenly their beautiful life is destroyed when Lara is falsely accused of murder. Or is she?
Despite John's every legal effort, a jury actually CONVICTS a beautiful, very sympathetic defendent and throws the book at her, giving her life in prison without parol. I guess that's what happens when you hire Daniel Stern to be your lawyer.
Having exhausted legal efforts, naturally this mild mannered professor decides to spring his wife from jail. He studies up on what it takes and consults a 7-time professional jailbreaker (Liam Neeson) for tips. He never really seems too concerned about failing and having his son wind up with BOTH parents in jail. I guess that kind of thinking is for losers, not action academics who drive Priuses.
The films best scenes (other than the ones involving the fetching Olivia Wilde) are the escape scenes, but its a long ride getting there and once that's past, more dull and tiresome scenes as the cops finally reexamine the site where Lara supposedly did the murder and the script takes yet another politically correct turn.
Paul Haggis
With "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby" Paul haggis became the first screenwriter to win 2 Oscars in a row for Best Screenplay. He doesn't have to worry about starting a new streak with "The Next Three Days". (I wonder if the title refers to how long it took him to write it?)
The Most Entertaining Part of the Film...
"Crash" co-star Moran Atiapas plays Crowe's sister-in-law who gets into a big fight with Banks at dinner one night. Her ample talents are well displayed and it starts the movie off on a promising foot.
Hotty Alert
With the beautiful Elizabeth Banks and the boobulicious Moran Atiapas, you would think this film would have no room for any other hotties, but then you would be wrong. Olivia Wilde almost steals the show and Senor Sock's heart with her portrayal of Nichole, the breathtaking brunette who is divorced and has a child of her own that John's son plays with. Just one look into Wilde's eyes and you would not blame John for leaving his wife to rot in prison while he gets wild with Wilde.
In fact that might have made a much better movie than this one.
