CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
emmkj20
Yes a well acted movie that needs an ending it's slow pace results in an unwelcome open ending. Shock horror she gets out... after watching Crowe's character flap around for over an hour and a half - the ending should close out 1. she's shot by cops, 2. proves innocence or 3. is caught with himself shot or visa versa.. or 4. Twist of all twists she's turns out to be a crazed killer ... none of which happen ... what a damp squib ending ....
zkonedog
Let's face it: in today's Hollywood, far too many movies are produced to strictly be cash cows, "popcorn flicks", or strictly vehicles for rising stars. While there is nothing wrong with that formula from a business point of view, it does serve to clutter/bog down the cinemas with largely irreverent fare. Fortunately, "The Next Three Days" is a shining example of how a film SHOULD be made.For a basic plot summary, this film focuses on the Brennan family. When wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks) is imprisoned for 20 years on a murder charge (her guilt/innocence is unknown until later on in the movie), husband John (Russell Crowe) hatches a scheme to break her out and take their son Luke out of the country to start a new life together. Along the way, John Brennan gets advice from a former prison escapee (Liam Neeson), must piece together a plan, and then finally decide if he deems himself capable of pulling it off.This movie will not immediately jump to the top of your "all-time favorites" list. What it will do, however, is entertain you for 2+ hours with intriguing characters, an interesting storyline, and enough plot twists to keep you guessing. It's simple (yet cognitive) entertainment at its finest: sit back, immerse yourself, and stay along for the satisfying ride.Besides the immersive storyline, the acting is also an "added bonus". Crowe and Banks are quite capable of carrying the leading roles, while Neeson, Olivia Wilde, Daniel Stern & even Brian Dennehy have excellent supporting roles, as small as they may be. Very much reminiscent of earlier Crowe films like "The Insider" & "State of Play" where the "surround Crowe with auxiliary talent" formula also paid off big.Thus, "The Next Three Days" is a very entertaining film (though perhaps not an outright classic) that I wish more Hollywood studios would copy. The acting is great, the plot is exciting, and the pacing is excellent. You'll never be looking at the DVD timer to see how much is left, that is for sure.
drennan_j
This is the best movie I've seen in 15 years. Maybe the rebel is due for a comeback . . . in the real world. This is the most anti-feminist anti-affirmative action anti-prison-state film of any time. Of course, at least two of those things are recent inventions to be opposed to. The drama and transformation of this protagonist from PW 'nice guy' to brilliant bad-ass is delightfully depicted. This movie is destined to be a classic love story.In terms of movie talk: this film portrays Pittsburgh as a beautiful middle class setting. If you're looking for stoic unhappy family relations then Brian Dennehey and Russell Crowe offer it up in spades. If you like action then just wait a while. And if you like pretty girls then: Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde. Need I say more?
kapelusznik18
*****SPOILERS**** An overly chunky an fat a** looking Russell Crowe plays English Collage teacher John Brennan who's wife Lara, Elizabeth Banks, has been sent up the river for 20 to life in the murder of her boss Elizabth Gesas, Leslie Mirrill, on suspecting of her making eyes on Lara's dreamboat of a husband. Not taking it lying down Brennan who's sure that she's innocent plans to spring Lara from the joint, or jail, and take off with her and their son Luke, Ty Simpkins, to South or Central America to avoid capture. Before Brennan pulls all this off he heads up to this sleazy bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, from his home in Pittsburgh, to get professional advise from jail brake expert Damon Pennington played in a cameo role, where he didn't have enough screen time to kill anyone, Hollywood #1 Macho Man Liam Neeson. Given all the ins and out in breaking out of prison and being under the radar Brennan together with Pennington concocts this far out plan to free his wife who incidentally doesn't claim she's innocent of the crime that she was convicted of!Following Pennington's expert advice Brannan gets involved with some of the worst of the worst criminals that almost leaves him dead, by him being taken advantage of by them, until he finally wises up and stops playing Mr. Good Guy. Knowing that he needs lots of cash to pull, getting his wife out of jail, this off Brannan rips off this me-th dealer, who earlier had his head busted by two of his goons, by setting fire to his me-th lab as well as him inside. Now with everything he needs to make a clean gateway for himself wife & son,lots of money fake passports drivers licenses as well as birth certificates, Brannan make his escape to far off Toronto Canada, well out of US jurisdiction, to take a plane to South America as well as to freedom. That with the Keystone Kop like Pittsburgh police and FBI agents hot on his tail going in a different direction.****SPOILERS**** It doesn't take much for Brennan to make his perusers look ridicules with the man in charge Pittsburgh police Let.Nabulsi, Lennie James, falling for every trick or false clue in the book that Brannan leaves him ending up getting out of both the USA & Canada with his wife & son untouched and unnoticed by the elite, what a joke, law enforcement agencies of both countries. What comes as a both surprise as well as happy ending is that it's revealed, in a very confusing flash-back, who really murdered Elizabeth Gesas, remember her, who by then was totally forgotten about in all the action leading up to it. The very at first overweight looking Russell Crowe must have lost 30 to 50 pounds by him sliming down in all the action scenes, without a body double, he was in the movie. Which made me wonder if that, the exercise, was the reason he took the part which seemed to be, in all the better films he made in his career,well beneath his acting talents and the only reason I could think of him being in the movie in the first place!
