Tuesday 6 September 2011

The Next Three Days

2010 by Paul Haggis - English movie from Hollywood

Russell Crowe is one of my favourites from the west, especially after watching his Beautiful Mind. His charm is too good to be ignored, even when he comes up with typical Hollywood potboilers.

John's wife Laura is accused of killing her boss and is jailed for a life time. Since the legal system does not offer any more hope, John plans for a jail break, and a life ahead with their little son. 

Once the movie ended, I really felt like, this movie might have been inspired by Shawshank Redumption. Possibly. There are many differences which would nullify my point, but for some reason, one will find moments to support my point too, I hope.

It offers some thrill and some emotional scenes, which are quite touching. In fact, John's love for his wife and his desire to lead a family life with his beloved and son is passed on to us quite easily and nicely. But at the same time, it also has those typical Hollywood cliches. And the most glaring one was John's meeting with an expert jail breaker. The cameo by Liam Neeson was very good though.

But credit to the script and director to make a family thriller, devoid of terrific action. And The Next Three Days is a good one time watch.

Very good performance by Mr. Crowe, it is not a challenging role for him though.