3 Days to Kill (PG-13)
16/05/14 22:36 Filed in: 2014
Starring: Kevin Costner
February 2014
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
The dollar sign is on the wrong side of the numeral…long day at the movies.
Why are albinos always bad guys, a la #ThePretender?
The opening attack is pretty standard action movie fare…would’ve been nice to see a more elaborate scenario with edgier filming. And since Luc Besson is the co-writer, you’d almost expect that degree of punch and panache from the movie’s action sequences.
Costner is admonished to put his affairs in order.
A phrase no one ever wants to hear.
“Yellow is not a man’s color.”
Neither is purple, as he’s soon to find out.
Costner rides a purple bike through Paris.
“Kill or die,” says the comely woman in the hot sports car.
Well, when she puts it like that…
Costner ties up a bad guy with the handy man’s secret weapon. Reference #TheRedGreenShow.
You’ll be amazed at the myriad things you can create with the stuff.
“The spare’s loose in the trunk.” Funny scene.
Funny, but farcical. A spare tire can’t move on its own inside a parked car…unless we’ve unknowingly drifted into a horror movie.
Bike riding lessons...a sweet scene.
With a gorgeous vantage of the city in the background.
“Real football.” I love it.
Guido’s secret sauce...hilarious scene.
The funniest scene in the movie, but the trailer absolutely ruined it.
More lessons...dancing this time.
But the mom’s (Connie Nielsen) entrance at that particular moment, arranged for maximum emotional effect, is more than a little contrived.
Costner really knows how to crash a party.
Fitting, I suppose, since he was a bodyguard in a former (acting) life.
Final analysis: a unique blend of action and humor in this job vs. family themed film.
Some beautiful European locales along with a few Bourne-esque action sequences are a boon to the film.
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars. Another solid turn by Costner and McG’s finest directorial effort to date.
Despite its thematic tensions, something about this movie just works. It’s a serious movie about serious matters that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Thank goodness for small miracles. If played straight, the movie would’ve imploded since it falls far short of the quality seen in a Bourne or Bond Euro flavored action thriller. The film explores the lighter side of a genre where life and death stakes normally belie any modicum of levity. Tonally, the movie falls somewhere between Bourne and Red—a sizable dramatic chasm, to be sure. Some will, wrongly, view the film as a spoof, while others will be thrown by how it tries to wear two hats (or masks)—the light and the dark (reference the movie poster), the comedic and the dramatic. Such tonal shifts didn’t bother me because Costner is utterly convincing as a man with literally nothing to lose (except for the respect and admiration of his family) and because he navigates back and forth between the narrative poles with masterful ease. I can see where viewers expecting an all-out action film will be disappointed by the movie’s comedic bits and schmaltzy daddy/daughter scenes; the atypical blend of story elements will surely attract some viewers while repelling others, as any work of art will do when pushing the envelope. To me, the movie’s uniqueness is what sets it apart from a standard action picture and makes it an enjoyable entertainment. But if you disagree with my assessment, please don’t kill the messenger.