The Next Three Days (2010)

Paul Haggis. What a fascinating career. Created Due South...won Oscars for Crash, a film I still think should have been called 'Carry On, Casual Racism'- now polishes Bond film scripts. Okay, that's pretty short-sighted- he's a premier league Hollywood scriptwriter, writing for Eastwood as well as directing his own movies. 
The Next Three Days is a remake of a French thriller called Anything for Her. I've not seen that but I'd hope that The Next Three Days marries together his skill for adapting stories and producing genuine thrillers.


Before I start- she breaks free and they get away with it, and I can't accept that ending.
Not because Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks and the kid playing their son are unconvincing- au contraire, considering they're acting, I thought they made a lovely family. 
In fact, the kid who plays their son is very good at playing a child slowly withdrawing from reality. Russell Crowe is not bad in the film, pretty good but I’m not surprised by that. 
I will say, Russell Crowe has taken over the mantel of making Harrison Ford movies. All the way though this film I was thinking ‘God, if this was 15years ago, this would totally be a Harrison Ford vehicle.’ Harrison Ford made the ‘wifes-dead-now-I’m-on-the-run’ movie 3times in the space of 5years between 88’ and 93’.
It should also be said that a lot of great actors pass through this movie. Not for very long mind you. Should you want to see this movie (I know- You don't...), you'll see The RZA (who's becoming a great actor. No jokes.), Brian Dennehy, Kevin Corrigan (GOD i love the 'young Walken'-ness of Kevin Corrigan), Daniel Stern (Yep. The same.), Liam Neeson (in a bit of a character part-he'll always be playing Liam Neeson but here, i almost forgot. Kudos.) and my personal favourite, Ziggy Sobotka from Season 2 of The Wire. 
I'm happy to see them all pick up a check.
No, it has to do with Crowe's character's sociopathic need to have his wife escape jail. Now i realise- this is the story, the main conceit of the film but he's SO prepared to risk everything to see his wife skip jail- even at the cost of seeing his child. This is where I dialled out of the movie. Because you don't need to be a parent to understand and maybe it goes without saying, BUT on the hierarchy of importance it may be your partner/wife/husband and i'm sure they're the love of your life BUT as soon as you have children, they zip-up to the top of the list. It's almost unfair, you've put in years of your life and love and this brat pushes in to the front of the queue but if you put your partner ahead of your child and your child's development, that's psychopathic. You're not fit to look after children. Your priorities are out-of-whack.

So in the end, Paul Haggis has made a film where you can’t empathise with the hero. And you might argue that it’s a remake but then, why would you want to make that?

I watched The Next Three Days at the cinema.

My 2011 in Movies will return with Strangers On A Train (1951)...
("Tired of all these muthafucking Strangers on this Train!!")