When you go to a prison break film, you have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get. There’s going to be the setup wherein the protagonists get thrown into a prison that’s nigh inescapable. There’s the planning montage showing the protagonist mapping out each step. Then comes the execution (the carrying out of the plan, not the death of the prisoner – as that would make the escape moot), followed closely by the twist; that one detail the film neglected to show you so the final walkthrough of the escape still has some thrill. It works the same way for a heist film, and the main issue both films have to overcome is the creation of something new and unique and finding a scheme that doesn’t feel tired from the get-go. The Next Three Days had the potential to till new ground, but it ultimately soils its opportunity with one too many miraculous turn of events and a few ridiculously over-the-top moments of “humanity”.
After a contentious argument at a dinner, Lara (Elizabeth Banks) is accused of killing an acquaintance and jailed for murder. Her husband John (Russell Crowe), convinced of her innocence and unwilling to live without her, he begins planning her prison break after having a few drinks with Liam Neeson, channeling his Taken persona. As he plots all the steps in their escape, he sells off their earthly possessions, and puts the plan into action. What does it take to start a whole new life and cut ties with the old one? It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be. People are tied into the system in a number of different places, and John gets a crash course on creating a new identity for him, his wife, and his son (Ty Simpkins). He gets involved with seedier parts of the criminal world and punished for his naiveté. Ultimately he pulls it all together just in time to take advantage of the shrinking three day window before his wife is transferred to a different prison and all his scouting is for naught.
If ever it felt like Russell Crowe was phoning it in, just copying and pasting a performance from a past film, you’ll get that sense with The Next Three Days (or Robin Hood). There’s nothing electrifying or convincing in his portrayal of a husband desperate to get his wife back by any means necessary. The entire film he just floats through the film, not so much playing the part as just filling the space of where the main character should be. The hard choice of finally killing a man and sealing himself into his fate doesn’t feel like a moment of truth, but rather an inevitable plot device existing for no other purpose than to prove John’s convictions to the audience. By contrast, Banks barely has to do a thing. The entire film’s progress hinges on Crowe’s delivery because there are barely any other characters in the film that have any definition whatsoever. A talented supporting cast of Brian Dennehy and Olivia Wilde go to waste as throwaway parts that do little or nothing to help the story.
The film alone barely deserves to be seen, never mind to be seen in HD. It looks fine, but there are never any moments that take advantage of Blu-ray’s visual and audio capability. Besides a lot of up close shots of Russell Crowe’s grizzled face, there’s nothing here that necessitates hi-def.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The combo set includes the film on Blu-ray, DVD and as a digital copy along with some pretty standard extras. Among them is an audio commentary, a making of featurette, profiles on the male actors in the film, a piece covering famous prison breaks done in the name of love, interviews with the cast in between filming, and some deleted & extended scenes.
It’s a decent set of extras, but the film is just so unfulfilling as to make anything additional to be known about the film feel worthless. Director Paul Haggis is an interesting man, but he has little to say about the making of this film that makes it any more worthwhile.
"The Next Three Days" is on sale March 8, 2011 and is rated PG13. Crime, Drama. Directed by Paul Haggis. Written by Paul Haggis, Fred Cavaye. Starring Brian Dennehy, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Ty Simpkins.
