The Next Three Days

"What if you had 72 hours to save everything you live for?", well for me, I'll just contact some bad-ass mercenaries, round them up and blast our way to save everything I live for. Let me add something, you're an ordinary people with no military background or huge enterprise to wage off a full scale-war. You can say that's the general storyline of The Next Three Days, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Paul Haggis.

Based on a French film in 2007, Pour Elle, John Brennan (Russell Crowe) is a teacher in a Pittsburgh community college whose wife got charged for man-slaughter. He always believes that her wife, Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) has nothing to do with the murder although the police found solid evidences and an alibi for her to kill. One day, he comes to an idea to break her off jail and ran off together with their son. He then contacted a book author, Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson), who managed to escaped jail seven times, to consult a way to get her wife escape the prison. Starting from that point, he prepares everything his family needs. Until on one visit to the prison, Lara tell him that she will got transferred in three days thus forcing him to start the plan right away.

I haven't watch the original French film yet, so I cannot compare the consistency to the original. But the idea is great, how an ordinary man risks it all to save someone he loves. Before, we watch a lot of prison-break theme film and tv series (still loves the Prison Break series.) but The Next Three Days offer something new.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this is the best work of Paul Haggis, as we all can see what he capable of in some of his film likes Million Dollar Baby. Especially that the movie is based something that already existed. So, some improvement could be done, Hollywood-style. Some of the scene is somewhat unimportant and slowing down the entire story. Considering of the talent Russell Crowe has, it should have been maximized to its full potential. Liam Neeson, although only appears in a small portion of the film, but deliver a good performance (also not his best performance.)

Conclusion, The Next Three Days whole idea is good. But the execution is not that smooth. It's kinda a waste to not dig the potential of all of the stars.