Review of The Next Three Days (2010) by Christopher M — 05 Sep 2011

"The Next Three Days" starts as a slow burn, emotional drama and evolves into quite an exhilarating experience. Great performances all around enhance the story, which features elements of "The Fugitive" and "Prison Break".

It was written and directed by Paul Haggis, the man behind the excellent 2004 film "Crash." Much like in "Crash", there are a few too many conveniences required here to allow Russel Crowe's John Brennan some successes while still keeping him a realistic, inexperienced everyman.

They don't detract enough to ruin the film, however, and much of the adventure is genuinely gripping and suspenseful. This is one of those movies I appreciated not being entirely sure which way things were going to go right up until the end.

It's a testament to the effective direction and development of the characters that I really came to care about their fate. Although the running time may be a little long for some, I found it appropriate to get across both the amount of time that has passed as well as the emotional state of John as the tension escalates and he faces a number of nerve-rattling "moment-of-truth" moments.

Yes, the plot overall is implausible, but I was hooked early on and was enthralled throughout. The last act of the film in particular had me glued to the screen. I was surprised to see upon finishing the film that it received mixed reviews upon release, as I was very impressed.

"The Next Three Days" stands as an underrated thriller that delivers plenty of emotion and intensity. Score: 8/10.