Review of 3 Days to Kill (2014) by Dustin D — 25 Jun 2014

Written by Luc Besson, you have to question how much of this film has been "Taken" from his previously penned film starring another aging actor Liam Neeson? Well, there's Oscar nominated actor doing grizzled father figure. Check. A retired agent seeking to make amends with estranged wife. Check. Set in Paris. Check. Protecting a daughter from horny Frenchmen. Abso-fucking-exactly! The plot of this film concerns past his prime Costner as US agent Ethan Renner (a name kind of made up from Tom Cruise's character in Mission Impossible and M-I:4 co-star Jeremy Renner) who is let go from his work after the discovery of chronic lung cancer so heads to Paris to make amends with his separated family. A mysterious CIA femme fatale operative Vivi Delay (who is every bit as burlesque looking as that name implies) then recruits Costner despite him trying to get out of the game. Not just that but she has an experimental "cure" that could extend his remaining life. WTF?!? Using the drug and doing the dirty deeds, Costner 'cranks' it up and uses the extra time to bond with his wayward daughter but the film's major problem is its shift in tone from OTT comedy-action alongside some semi-serious family bonding time.

The obligatory Parisian car chase alongside some majorly stereotypical French iconography frames a comical depiction of Paris including lazy sports obsessed policeman tied to procedure, bike rides along the Seine and fights in restaurants where crepe toasters and bottles of wine are used are weapons, which all mean that a shot of Costner in a beret with onions was not too far away. But for every solid action sequence there was a jarring heartfelt moment or social commentary (a birth amongst a group of minority ethnic squatters was a strange sight) that felt like the film was even fighting itself at times. I really like Costner from his JFK highs to his cheesy Robin Hood so the best I can say is I hope that with this piece of nonsense he can build up some sort of comeback as not even his watchable persona can salvage this haphazard but harmless romp. 6.5/10 Midlands Movies Mike.