Having seen the trailer for this movie months before it hit theatres, the build-up was ongoing. By the time I was in the concession line with my The Next Three Days ticket in my pocket, I could barely contain my excitement. The movie almost lived up to the hype.
The premise of the movie is intriguing. A married couple, John and Lara Brennan, have a three-year-old son and are living what appears to be a happy and content life. That life is shattered when one morning, which starts like any other morning, the doorbell rings and a half dozen police officers bust into their house with an arrest warrant. In a nice change from the man getting arrested, they take the wife into custody for the murder of her female boss. The two of them had quarrelled the night before and the boss was later found dead in the parking garage. Some of the boss's blood was discovered on Lara's coat.
Little time is wasted showing the trial, conviction, and appeal as we are rushed - thankfully! - into the meat of the story. John cannot imagine living the next 20 years with Lara in jail and he starts plotting to get her out.
Russell Crowe
The role of John Brennan is played by Russell Crowe. I'll admit I wasn't a Crowe fan before this movie but now I'm hooked. Crowe carried 90% of this film on his wide shoulders and he did a magnificent job. Through Crowe, you can feel the agony John Brennan went through as he tried to be the sole parent to his son, hold down a college professor job, and visit his wife in prison on a regular basis. His unwavering belief that his wife is innocent of the crime she was convicted of will touch even the coldest heart. The weight of all John is going through is almost tangible and Crowe does a tremendous job of making us empathetic to John's plight.
The Next Three Days Cast
The role of Lara Brennan is played by Elizabeth Banks. She has been in numerous movies including Role Models, W., The 40 Year Old Virgin, Invincible, Spider-Man 3, and TV shows like Scrubs and 30 Rock. With such an impressive resume, I anticipated she would be convincing in her role as a convicted murderer. While Banks did a passable job, I didn't feel the passion behind her facade like I did with Crowe. A few of the actions of Lara Brennan leave us scratching our heads, wondering what she was thinking, but that onus is on the scriptwriter, not Banks.
Liam Neeson makes a brief appearance as an ex-con who broke out of numerous prisons. A stupendous actor in almost any role he undertakes, Neeson doesn't disappoint in this flick. The scene with him and Crowe's character keeps viewers pondering the likelihood of the jail-break John Brennan is planning to do.
The Next Three Days Gets a Thumbs Up
Although this is touted in the trailers as an action flick, the action scenes have a lot of talking scenes in between them due to the storyline. But when our patience is rewarded with an action sequence, they are worth the wait.
Do I recommend The Next Three Days? You bet! But with a warning of caution to stick it out during the slow bits.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
Join the Conversation