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The Next Three Days

The Next Three Days (2010)

November. 19,2010
|
7.3
|
PG-13
| Drama Thriller Crime Romance

A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of murdering her boss. Her husband John would spend the next few years trying to get her released, but there's no evidence that negates the evidence against her. When the strain of being separated from her husband and son gets to her, John decides to find a way to break her out.

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BoardChiri
2010/11/19

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

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Bereamic
2010/11/20

Awesome Movie

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Nessieldwi
2010/11/21

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

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AshUnow
2010/11/22

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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James
2010/11/23

Movies that devote much of their time to detailed preparations for major crimes have always got up my nose, big-time, but "The Next Three Days" from Canadian Paul Haggis (who directed and screenwrote) is in a somewhat different class, thanks to its deployment of Russell Crowe in full single-minded obsessive mode (a la "Noah" or "Water Diviner" both in fact released 4 years after this movie). Here he's good-guy teacher John Brennan, whose commitment to his wife Laura is so great and unswerving that - as the book this film was based on puts it, he'll do "Anything for Her". And a bright guy who's also utterly determined can indeed get up to pretty much anything. But for that to work, we have to have a romance-cum-symbiosis between the husband and wife, and here a sublimely attractive, but even-more-gorgeous-below-the-surface Elizabeth Banks carries that off just beautifully. Somehow we viewers can just feel the sparks of chemistry that fly between the pair when they meet up, most especially at visiting times in the Allegheny Jail.This by the way makes it all the more devastating when John's meticulous (and largely unlawful) plans to break his wife out might conceivably be derailed, not by any external factors or technical difficulties, but by a moment of despair and anger from his other half that makes her try to persuade him she's actually guilty of the crime she's been locked up for. This is a good twist, as it externalises her feeling of guilt over how her incarceration has ruined their family life, but also her recognition that his devotion and loyalty to her probably exceeds hers for him, or indeed pretty much anything anyone can think of! She is tired of being married to a Saint, and wants to put him off. But of course he's in so deep, and the plan now means so much to him, that it matters not. He can't, won't believe she's guilty, and that's that.The idea that the police might somehow cotton on to what Brennan is planning is a touch far-fetched, but this opens up the film greatly (at just the right point) and also gives us the chance to see Lennie James in action as the Lieutenant - always a pleasure. Several other police staff do their portrayals well enough here likewise. Of course, teacher Brennan has to learn how jailbreaks can be achieved from someone, and who better than Liam Neeson in a cameo as an author whose claim to fame is describing how he himself got out (only to give himself up again at the end)? The shortlist of tips this guy offers in a few minutes forms the basis for a large chunk of John Brennan's life, and the meticulousness with which the scheme is set up is matched by the meticulous arranging of the film. The lovely Olivia Wilde is also in there, ostensibly to ensure that the Brennans' kid is at a party at Pittsburgh Zoo at the vital moment, leaving the dilemma of being together as couple or a full family writ large; but actually also serving to make it clear to us all that nothing/nobody can tempt John away from Laura.The great Brian Dennehy also has his part to play as John's father George, but boy do we have to wait for him to make his move! For what seems like an age he's saying and doing pretty much nothing; but then there's a vital, beautiful, if short couple of scenes in there at the end which allow yet another actor's integrity to shine through in this movie. If John has some fundamental understanding of his wife, so - at this moment - does tough-guy father George feel and understand and appreciate and praise exactly what his son is getting up to. And all achieved with hardly a word said!Few but Dennehy could have got that right, and it's a pleasure to watch him do so. In short, very little is left to chance in this film, and that really pays its dividends in delivering us a taut and meaningful crime thriller, but also a supremely romantic piece of storytelling. We envy (if slightly also fear) Brennan's feelings for his Laura, which go beyond love into some visceral need or addiction - he simply cannot exist as a whole human being while she is imprisoned. Indeed, this is even reflected cleverly in the filming, with colour only really making itself felt at the beginning, and again in the final half hour or so. In between, all is dark and dull and desperate, if of course supremely focused on Brennan's task in hand, which he pursues without fear, in the face of all possible odds.This is a fine piece of work that hasn't aged a bit in 8 years, and will pay both watching and rewatching.

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kabailey61
2010/11/24

This movie is worth watching despite some weak plot points. The characters are likable and I found myself rooting for John Brennen throughout the movie. The only thing I didn't like was how the police shoved their way into the Brennen home and arrested Lara. This was very upsetting to Luke and to me as well. Even murder suspects and their families deserve to be treated with respect. I would hope that this is not how real police officers treat suspects.

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dwearle-15295
2010/11/25

All in all, I have to say this is the best drama-suspense movie I have seen in years, even though it was released in 2010, and I am making this review in 2017. Russel Crowe is superb as a stunned husband, and father, who just couldn't accept the guilty conviction of his wife in the murder of her boss, and decides that he isn't going to rest, knowing she would be imprisoned for life. Enter Liam Neeson who, although plays a VERY SHORT appearance in the film, 'counsels' Russel Crowe on how to break someone out of prison, as he (Neeson) is a former prison escapee.From there, the film becomes almost nightmarish in the 'what's next' aspect, as with every turn of event, you almost think Russel Crowe's character will either give up on the notion of breaking his wife out of prison, or he will get himself killed trying. From murdering a meth-lab owner for the money he needed to pull it all off, to getting beat up, and robbed, you just never know what to expect as this one evolves, which earns it my highest rating of 10. I don't usually go this much into detail with my reviews, but this one definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Each time I had to get up, and pause the movie, I had to rush through whatever it was I had to do, just to get back to the movie, so I wouldn't lose pace, or track of what had been happening when I paused it. This one is definitely worth a watch, and even watched a couple more times.

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drennan_j
2010/11/26

This is the best movie I've seen in 15 years. Maybe the rebel is due for a comeback . . . in the real world. This is the most anti-feminist anti-affirmative action anti-prison-state film of any time. Of course, at least two of those things are recent inventions to be opposed to. The drama and transformation of this protagonist from PW 'nice guy' to brilliant bad-ass is delightfully depicted. This movie is destined to be a classic love story.In terms of movie talk: this film portrays Pittsburgh as a beautiful middle class setting. If you're looking for stoic unhappy family relations then Brian Dennehey and Russell Crowe offer it up in spades. If you like action then just wait a while. And if you like pretty girls then: Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde. Need I say more?

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