Review of 3 Days to Kill (2014) by Jason Y — 08 Aug 2014

3 Days to Kill is an action film, a dark comedy, and a heartfelt family drama. At least, it wants to be. It's a blend of a film that never quite knows what it wants to be, delivering mixed results on screen.

The film sees Kevin Costner as an effective, if gruff and over-the-hill, CIA spy. Like countless other movie spies, this one has a complicated family life, having an estranged wife and daughter. A rare brain tumor leaves him with 3 months left to live, propelling Costner to "get his affairs in order" and re-establish some sort of relationship. Complications ensue when he finds himself suddenly thrust back in the spy game, needing to track down a ruthless terrorist.

Yes, it's derivate, and filled with clichés. The film takes its family undercurrent very seriously, and I actually felt this worked well for the film, mostly because of the performances. Costner was good, and his chemistry with Hailee Steinfeld makes a familiar family dynamic interesting. His other relationships, with his wife, with Amber Heard, and with the other characters in the film, don't work quite as well, however. The entire narrative involving the arms dealing terrorist is never developed to any satisfaction, and we never care about any of the villains or feel like there's really any stakes at play. The whole subplot involving the experimental drug is also helplessly contrived.

Yet, the film is fun. The action is highly competent, even bordering on impressive, and the central performances are strong enough to mask many of the faults. It's flawed, certainly, but manages to do enough right to make it a passable watch.

3/5 Stars.