Your loved one is charged for murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Of course, it’s easy for you to say that she’s innocent. But how far would you go to prove it and release her of a fate only you believe she doesn’t deserve?

Based on 2008 French film, Pour Elle (Anything for Her), The Next Three Days is directed by Paul Haggis and starts off with introducing the Brennan family: John (Russell Crowe), a college professor, Lara (Elizabeth Banks) and son, Luke (Ty Simpkins). Their life seems perfectly normal until police crash into their house one night and arrests Lara for committing murder against her boss.

Their lives turn topsy-turvy as an untimely squabble with her boss and unexplained circumstances leaves her with a bloodied coat that proves against her. When Lara resorts to attempting suicide, John realises the only way is to break her out of jail. Turning to Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson), an author who has escaped from prison 7 times, John plans out a meticulous plot that leaves him with 3 days in a do-or-die situation to finally execute it.

Half psychological drama and action thriller, the uncertainty of Lara’s innocence holds suspense throughout the movie and is 1 factor that keeps the audience engaged. Breaking out of jail is the easy part and tension accumulates as the couple race across Pittsburgh to evade the cops (a plan that also involves abandoning their son at a gas station). Lara’s hesitation further complicates their desperate situation.

Academy Award-winner, Crowe (Gladiator) was convincing in fighting scenes and pulled off the role of a loving father and husband, a college professor and a fierce criminal, excellently. Banks, who’s well-known for comedy and films like Definitely, Maybe, delivers more than a solid performance in this thriller.

However, a little more work on the plot to better portray Brennan’s transition from ordinary college professor to jail-breaking badass would have made the movie much more believable. Google’s fantastic but scenes like Brennan referring to YouTube for a lesson on how to break into a car dampens a bit of the mood. His complete faith in his wife despite the evidence against her is also a little unrealistic.

That said, Haggis who brought us poignant films like Crash and In The Valley of Elah managed to develop the emotional core of the movie (maybe a bit too well at times, slowing down the action thriller) but the film is still worth the popcorn. Sadly, the movie opened with to an estimated US$6.75 million (S$ 8.87 million) but that’s what happens when you’re competing with blockbusters like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 which had a US$125.1 million (S$ 164.3 million) opening weekend.

Movie: The Next Three Days
Rating: ★★★✩✩

Opens: 25 Nov 2010
Duration: 133 minutes
Language: English
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Thriller, Suspense

Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Banks