Review of The Next Three Days (2010) by Y N — 03 Jan 2015

Very entertaining! It's great to see Russell Crowe in an emotionally-charged role again. He's fantastic and was able bring his far-fetched character and the movie's plot to believability.

Now, one of the major complaints by the critics is of the far-fetched plot about a mild-mannered teacher who steals from drug-dealers and breaks his wife out of prison to reunite his family. I know that's not your typical story, but why should all movies have typical plots? We enjoy heroic fantasy characters like the Avengers, Spiderman and Iron Man but not a husband and father who's willing to do the unthinkable when he's desperate to reunite his family and save his wife?

Enjoy the movie for what it is. Great dramatic performances by Crowe and his costar Banks. I also love the cameo by Liam Neeson, although it was too short. By no means the movie was perfect without flaws. But it was enjoyable because you'll find yourself rooting for this desperate husband who has so much to lose and seemed foolishly hopeful.